I have no words for how great this food was. First of all, the vibe was amazing - super cute, but chill and not pretentious all. Our server, Brittany, was amazing. We did the $65 per person meal and it was beyond what either of us expected. We got so much food and it was all fantastic. I would HIGHLY recommend!!!! read more

This food was absolutely amazing and the service was great. . First, the vibe & decor is great. Loved the little details while looking around. Great playlist. Our apps were to die for - the paneer tikka & taki chaat - we were full before getting our entrees! The chaat was the best I've had anywhere, so flavorful. The boti kabob was good, but I could have used a little more flavor or sauce. It came with raita, which was yummy but I felt it could use spice. read more

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I can't say enough about this place - the flavors, the variety, the atmosphere, the staff - basically the whole vibe here is amazing. Since we are ALWAYS looking for that curry fix, finally getting here felt like arriving at masala heaven. Why waste your tastebud experience eating seafood that you can pretty much find ANYWHERE locally at ANYTIME? Do something different, and walk fast to this corner restaurant hitting all the spice right. No, it's not too "hot". Yes, you can customize. Maybe, you should order everything. read more

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This place drew my attention because of the ambiance in the pictures I saw. When I came here I smelled the wonderful aromas immediately. I saw the option of doing their tasting menu and that was absolutely what I chose. It was soooooooo delicious. I was so pleasantly surprised. I've had Indian food but never Pakistani and it's similar but idk I kind of like it more? It felt more flavorful? Unless it was just that this place was that good!! The food came out fast also!! I recommend to everyone who is in the area!! 10/10!! read more

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F around and find out - this place is 5 stars all day. Great ambiance, service, food. Such an enjoyable experience all around. Wings, butter chicken, naan, beef biryani. No notes!! read more

Ma’am Saab - Butter chicken, biryani - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

We had the tasting menu and it was extremely affordable and a ton of food. I love trying all the different flavors and it was nice to go somewhere pretty unique for Charleston. The service was really great and each course was timed out perfectly. Its definitely worth checking out! read more

Ma’am Saab - Cream Soda - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

I didn't have any food here. I'm sure it's great, though I'm very picky about my Indian/Pakistani food and the menu didn't exactly call to me. Would try if I am in Charleston again, though dishes seem very palm colored people coded. Menu items include: biryani, butter chicken, chicken tikka, chapli kabab, and some chutneys. I mainly had drinks here while conducting business. I had: Karachi wala: vodka, masla chai, amaro, cardamom, orange blossom. Basically tastes like chai. Kashmiri 76: Vodka, blood orange, citrus, cava, pom. Light, refreshing. Easy. Party in Lahore: tropical gin, grapefruit, mango, citrus. Not bad. I can't remember much about it, which means, "okay." Mughal sunrise: reposado, orange, aperol, salt. Tangy, citrusy. The bartender kept my drinks flowing, but wasn't on top of me or hovering. Everyone was really laid back. Near a local improv club so maybe make a night of it? read more

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the place had such a cool vibe to it. we went during the day but it would be so cool to go at night too. i'm pretty sure it turns into a night club or something at night. the service was great! the food was so flavorful, i really enjoyed it. the only thing is that i wish the chicken tikka had the masala sauce, it didn't. it was so delicious though! read more

Ma’am Saab - butter chicken, butter naan, and chicken tikka - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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The overall vibe here was relaxing and comforting. Eating the warm pita with yummy butter chicken on a chilly night made my heart happy! I indulged in the fried zucchini starter and a whiskey/tea cocktail as well. The bartender, Dustin, was lovely and provided excellent conversation and recommendations. read more

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Definitely on the more expensive side, but I was really impressed by all of their dishes. I went with the chefs tasting, which was around $70 a person and everyone at the table must also choose the tasting. read more

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I've been meaning to try it here for a while and really glad I did! I have the chef's tasting platter where it's three courses of food, and that was a great way to try a bit of about half the menu. Everything was really good! I am convinced most Indian places are just reheating food that they all get from the same place, due to the consistency plate to plate and how each place has the exact same menu that tastes exactly the same. Ma'am Saab is clearly making it all in-house and tastes very unique and I loved it. Great meal that justified the high price. Service was friendly, though I think they could have done with one more server in there once it started to fill up. Inside was swanky and chic. Will 100% return for great Indian and Pakistani food! J.Ja read more

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Food was tasty but Not spicy enough for me and the chili garlic chutney offered was Tabasco mixed into tomato paste - ugh ugh. Service was good. No real ambiance- the video playing was about 3 mins long and honestly so boring. No music so very little taste of Pakistan. read more

Oh. My. Goodness. Everything about this restaurant was incredible. The staff were so friendly and welcoming. I sat at bar and bartender offered to make me a mocktail off the menu to try. The food was incredibly tasty. Had to stop myself from eating just because. The ambiance is dark with fun lighting and makes for a great solo date night or dinner with friends/partners. read more

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First time eating Pakistani food and didn't know what to expect. Savory with just a tad of curry heat. Neat setting - not overly loud. The food was well prepared and staff was attentive. The chili-lime chicken wings were off the chain delicious. Lamb was interesting. Aloo was amazing and buttery. read more

Make a reservation, it's worth the trouble. Ma'am Saab is always such an enjoyable time. I have never order anything on their menu I didn't enjoy. Although their cocktails can be a little sweet. It's a beautiful warm cozy environment, perfect for a unique night out. read more

Ma’am Saab - Butter Chicken - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

My husband and I came here when we were exploring downtown Charleston and needing an Indian fix. We ordered many of the popular dishes recommended, and many of them were mid. I was honestly looking forward to great tasting paki food since it's always so well balanced in flavors but this place wasn't all the best. 3/5 for overall food, service, and ambiance read more

Absolutely amazing Pakistani restaurant. Finally got to try this place for dinner. The cocktails were delicious. The zucchini fritter appetizer was one of my favorite dishes - so good with a hint of mint in it. I had the cholay biryani and it did not disappoint! Served in a huge pot like a pot pie, with rice and chickpea and potato. It was enough for 2-3 people to eat, I had so much leftover. Service was friendly and the ambiance inside was really cool! Not a big place so reservations are probably best during busy times. Highly recommend! read more

Ma’am Saab - Good cocktails - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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The food and service were amazing! The restaurant was a bit small and crowded, but the vibe was great.

Had the best time on my first visit to Ma'am Saab. The space is decorated beautifully. Dark, intimate and trendy. We did the chef's tasting and so had quite a lot from the menu. All tasty, surprisingly while I was obsessed with the naan dipped in butter chicken the chicken wings they have here are my perfection standout. I had a great time with new friends and a part of that was the standout service from Jimmy. He has lovely energy and made sure we were taken care of. Wonderful dinner! read more

Ma’am Saab - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

We visited Ma'am Saab for the first time Saturday night! We were able to snag a reservation day of for a 6 PM table for 4. Our server was very friendly and offered us expert recommendations for appetizers & main plates to share. We love family style dinners! Truly everything we ordered was exceptional. We ordered the PAKORA CHAAT, QEEMA PAV, TAJ-E-SABZI, CHICKEN TIKKA, the Brisket special & the Chutney sampler with naan. The pakora chaat & the Brisket special were my favorites! Our cocktails were fabulous. Definitely have a new favorite spot in CHS! read more

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Beautiful quaint restaurant with wonderful ambiance, service, and food! I had the Qeema Pav and loved it! read more

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GET the tasting menu!! The appetizers are excellent - cabbage salad, sweet potatoes, and samosas with chick peas. Second course was well seasoned ground beef and marinated chicken with 6 different chutneys! Then we had another round of karahi chicken (our favorite), curry potatoes, sageer and naan. We were so satisfied and happy. Service was also very good. Only comment would be to include serving spoons for all dishes/chutneys. read more

Ma’am Saab - Kashmini - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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We were from out of town, and we're trying to find something different to try. Small restaurant, but we had made reservations prior. We took Uber, so I'm not sure about parking. The server was great, nice, and checking in the perfect amount. Gave us suggestions within our food tolerance. The food aroma and taste were amazing. We enjoyed our time here, and no one rushed us. The food was very filling. read more

Ma’am Saab - Kabob - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

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Beautiful place, great food and service as well. We really enjoyed our meals the other night and will come back. read more

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Welcome to one of Charleston's most flavorful cuisines, Chef Maryam Ghaznavi delivers from the moment you sit down all the way to the dessert! They are conveniently located downtown, right on Meeting Street. The moment you walk in you can feel the vibes, with the cool decor and colorful pops of color! The service was amazing and our waitress did an amazing job going over all the dishes and answering our questions. Once the food starts to arrive you can see how everything works in unison. We stopped by for their new Happy Hour menu, which has 3-amazing dishes: Samosa Chat, a Smash Burger, and Masala Fries. You can also order off the main menu if you don't eat meat. The Smash burger was SO good, the way they cooked it, it also came with a chaat sauce that made it beyond delicious! DO NOT SKIP the Pakora Chat, this is a must anytime you eat here! For drinks, we tried two of the drink specials and we always order the mango lassi, which helps cool down any of the spicey flavors. For dinner, my wife ordered the Chicken Tika which had its specific flavors, which were different from our regular curry-type dishes. You know we had to try dessert and those donut balls were amazing, must try! If you looking for a different culinary experience in Charleston, come to Ma'am Sabb and expand your flavor pallet! read more

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Unfortunately we had to cancel our reservations 1 hour before our reservation. We we charge $25 per person because the have a 24 hour cancelation fee. It was a Friday night and they could have easily booked our table. Beware before booking. read more

If ever there was a 10/10 dining experience, this is it. The food is incredibly flavorful and delicious, and something you can't just find anywhere. Every dish is a masterpiece. The decor/ambiance/music adds to the experience. Everything is well thought out and perfectly executed. Having been a fan of this family owned restaurant for years (and their previous operation at Workshop) - I can vouch for the fact that this is truly a labor of love for the owners/chefs and they treat Ma'aam Saab and it's sister restaurant Malika as a great parent would treat their baby. I can't say enough good things. Keep up the incredible work. I can't express enough how every single dish I've ever had from Ma'am Saab has made my wife and I say "WOW" after the first bite. What an experience for your mouth! read more

From the moment we arrived to the time that we left we were disappointed. I used my Chase sapphire reserve card because the restaurant was one of 4 that came with the food credit, so basically the meal was free and my wife and i would not go back even at free. read more

The food was amazing with tons of flavor. The decorum was great and cozy. We I'll be back! The service was fast and friendly, also made us feel welcome while celebrating a birthday there. read more

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Came here for dinner tonight - partly because it was close to our hotel and also it looked very fun inside (and I could smell the slices from down the street). It was busy (7ish on a Saturday night) and we sat at the bar. The Kashmiri 76 cocktail is delicious and bubbly. The masala salad is a wonderful surprise - crunchy, fresh, sweet, spicy ...a great start to the meal. Then my mom and I shared the butter chicken, rice, and an order of naan. It was one of the best meals I've had in a long time. I had to force the bartender to take the plates away because I would have drank the butter chicken sauce from the bowl. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something unique, fun, and oh so tasty! Didn't get any pics because we wolfed it down too fast read more

I heard this place was great so I had to go check it out. We went on a Friday lunch without a reservation. I have been trying to explore new tastes and places and this is a must go. We had a few apps (I don't remember the actual names) but we had the chicken, sweet potato and some other was a crispy ball type with a shit ton of flavor inside. For my mean I ordered the chicken sandwich and fries which was chefs kiss. The other people at my table all ordered the same thing and it was seriously awesome. I'm sorry I don't remember the names of the dishes but I have pictures of them listed. The atmosphere was really nice. Loved the color and the warmth of the place. I also loved the intimate feel of the place. It's not huge, maybe around 14 tables all together. I 100% recommend read more

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Unbelievable food! The Butter Chicken is to die for. I've had a lot of Indian food in my life, but this place is a whole different level. The flavors are just mind-bogglingly good. Definitely recommend trying some of the chutneys too, they balance the flavors so well and bring another dimension to your meal. read more

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This restaurant combines the atmosphere of a classic old Charleston building (and sticky door), with a hit of a culture far removed from that, with a video wall of donkeys in front of mountains and high-energy dance music presumably in Urdu. The place is not large inside and I haven't found it easy to get a dinner table, but when they started offering lunch I dropped in. The staff still weren't that knowledgeable about the lunch, but I found something I wanted. Ordering a thali yielded rice, potatoes, some flavored yogurt, and one dish of choice which for me was the richly flavored chickpeas. Indeed, everything was dynamic in flavor, with a little bit of pickled vegetables amping up the rice, and none of it was really spicy hot. Their long beverage menu includes a substantial nonalcoholic selection (albeit not the chai their sister restaurants have, for some reason), as well as the options for CBD-infused beverages. Not wanting to fail a drug test, I went for some sort of soda which tasted of rose and was bright neon green for some reason. The menu seems still in development, and I'm surprised there's no dal, none of the bread and chickpea combinations I'd hoped for, and generally a short vegetarian menu. But what they offer is good. It's pricey, but it's downtown and it's an atmospheric place. I hope they'll expand the menu as I'd like to come back. read more

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Pakistani food is not the first thing that came to mind when I visited Charleston, South Carolina. But after several folks mentioned Ma'am Saab down the road from our hotel, we had to give it a try. And wow, this place was amazing. We started with the Samosa Chaat - delicate and flavorful, then the Cholay Biryani, a mixed rice dish, but it comes in a pot covered with a puff pastry that they open up at the table. Watching the steam rise from the pot and smelling the ingredients, my stomach began to grown immediately. Paired with Paratha bread and a few chutneys, it was a complete meal full of flavor and spice. Now, when I think of Charleston, I'll think of Pakistani food and long for a return to Ma'am Saab soon! read more

Ma’am Saab - Cholay Biryani - Pakistani Near Me - Charleston, South Carolina

It has been 36 hours since our meal and I am still on cloud nine from this experience. My ONLY ONLY ONLY complaint - which is not their fault - is that Toast does their reservations and doesn't automatically link it to your calendar, which leads to people like me who write it down for the day before instead of the correct day and have to drive downtown twice. (My own fault but I wish Toast was a bit more user friendly this way). Anyway onto the celebration! We were celebrating dual birthdays - my (very) belated birthday from March, and my friend's birthday next week - and our server brought us out complimentary bubbly upon our arrival. This sort of touch is so simple yet so meaningful. We were told that the cocktails can be ordered with alcohol, with THC (Delta 8?), or plain. We both ordered virgin drinks; I got the Khatta Meetha ($17) which had a very pleasant fruity taste. We split the Masala Bhel appetizer ($14) which was the perfect combination of sweet, crunchy, and savory. It was a HUGE serving - we each had multiple scoops and I brought it home and have had it for another two meals as a salad topper. For my entree, I ordered the Taj-E-Sabzi ($26) which was something I had never heard of or come across. It came with potatoes, okra, tomatoes, and hot peppers, along with rice and paratha. Again, it was more than enough for one person; I had leftovers for lunch the next day and have enough for lunch today. I love that it's a small menu with limited options as it ensures you won't be overwhelmed with choices, even though almost every can be made with meat or without meat. We decided against dessert this time, but I have already made a return reservation and will definitely be trying one of their dessert options! read more

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Delicious lunch at Ma'am Saab. I would return as the food is very flavorful and all your spices are present and is of the caliber you would expect at an excellent Indian eatery. No complaints there! Except for the naan-- was expecting nice crispy thin hot naan~ instead the naan was a thick, store bought type of bread that would've been nice to dip into the delicious spicey sauces. Loved the festive Indian atmosphere and quaint bar in the rear of the restaurant a giant screen will keep you happy and engaged with various images. Servers are proud to serve such delicious food -and convey their likes should you ask for a suggestion. WE SEEM TO BE COMING DOWN THE HOME STRETCH WITH GOOD AUTHENTIC INDIAN CUISINE IN THE AREA SO HOPEFULLY THIS ESTABLISHMENT WILL STiCK AROUND FOR AWHILE. So by all means, do try Ma'am Saab ~conveniently located on Meeting street, on the corner of Wentworth Street~ housed where the "ages old" and world famous Jestine's Kitchen used to be.. read more

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What a cool place! We had the butter chicken and it was absolutely incredible. We didn't make reservations so we sat at the bar. The bartender was really friendly and service was good. Definitely recommend! read more

This is what Charleston has been needing. Unique and different in that it: 1. Is a totally different genre of food from your typical Charleston meals 2. The vibe is incredible! Beautifully decorated and everything from the cutlery to the music is planned with a purpose. 3. The drinks... all I can say is wow. They are all so unique and not like what you will find at other restaurants (hello, espresso martini but make it a chai). Our server was very helpful. She took the time to share advice, explain the menu, and came back numerous times to ensure we had a great dinner. Be sure to order extra naan. You won't want any of the delicious, extra sauce to go to waste! read more

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Delightful evening at the bar with Cheyenne as our server and bartender. Had a ground lamb appetizer that had a great blend of spice and was very tasty. Following that we had a shrimp Briyani. So good The spices in the food and the recipes were amazing and maybe was the best meal I've had so far in Charleston. No need for oysters and shrimp and grits at this place. I hear they have a place in Mount Pleasant as well. Well done in the kitchen ! read more

Found this place on Yelp and I am sooo glad I didn't skip out on this gem. We were greeted by hostess and sat down fairly quick. (Mind you I came in with a party of 6). Loved the interior design and all the pieces that were put together. The noise level of this place is medium to high since the tables are fairly close together but not in an invading your privacy type of way. The music really listens up the mood either way the moody and dimmed lights. I ordered their steak limited edition special- which was amazing. The dish came with Brussels and potatoes, and really balanced with the steak and sauce. I can't really describe the sauce, but it's like A1 sauce and tikka masala had a child? lol. The peneer appetizer was firm and creamy. The qeema pav, caught me by surprise- it had soo much textured from the fluffy and gooey butter buns, the bits and chucks of ground lamb, and the cholay spread really ties everything together. My friends ordered the butter chicken and every single one of them loved the dish; it was extremely creamy and buttery. The butter naan made it to the next level. Not sure if it was the chef or the owner who came to our table and greet us, but she was extremely sweet. Can't forget to mention our waitress (I forgot her name), she was sooo patient with us and made sure we have everything we needed. I can't wait to come back to Charleston and try the rest of their menu. read more

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