You know it's good when your mouth starts watering from the smells in the parking lot, when the place is packed even at 9:30 pm, and when every single person looks like they're enjoying the food. Pakwan is the spot. You have to know how to order, because order does matter here! Step 1) Grab a table. May require you to wait. May require you to stage a stake out. May require you to get crafty. They will not let you order until you have a table! Step 2) Order at the counter. Be adventurous. Try something you've never had before. It'll be good, just trust. (Also, if you got Mango Lassi, or other drinks, pick up at the register!) Step 3) They will give you a buzzer. It will go off when your food is ready. Pickup at the window. Dished may come out staggered so be patient. Step 4) Water, utensils, sauces, and straws are all self serve. Cleaning up your dishes once you leave is not. At every stage there was someone to help us along. From the cleaning staff looking out for tables for us to the chef flagging down the manager to pick up my forgotten Mango Lassi. The tandoori chicken blew people away. The saag actually tasted like real spinach. The naan is huge. It's no secret that Pakwan delivers. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Saag Paneer, Chicken Biryani, Tandoori Chicken Leg, Chicken Korma, Nihari, Mango Lassi, Naan - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

This review is for take out only. We ordered the chicken karahi and garlic naans to go. The wait time was long, we got our order almost 45 minutes after placing it. But the taste was 10/10. Perfectly spiced, authentic flavors and the naan was great too. read more

Let's get this out of the way: this is some of the best Indian/Pakistani food in the South Bay, and anyone who disagrees is simply wrong. Yes, it's crowded. Yes, you have to hunt for a table and grab your own plates, untensils & water. No, the ambience is not vibes, just kinda meh. But once you pick up your food, you will forget where you are, who you came with, and whatever bad decisions led you here hungry. What's good? EVERYTHING. There are no weak links. Order boldly. Regret nothing. read more

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Pakwaan definitely lived up to it's name last night when we dined here with some friends on a freezing Bay Area night. Our friends ordered the beef nihari, beef wrap, rice and garlic naan. They loved the food. The loved the flavors and the everything. My husband and I ordered the achari gosht, garlic naan, chicken boti kebab, rice, chicken leg and chicken seekh kebab. The achari gosht was out of this world. It was ultra spicy as per the description and we wouldn't have it any other way. It was authentic to the T. The naan was exceptional. The rice were great. The boti kebab had an amazing charcoal aroma and flavor but felt a little dry. It wasn't juicy like the chicken leg. Chicken leg was nice and spicy with a great charring. We loved the food but our least favorite dish was the chicken seekh kebab. I couldn't taste chicken and they had added too much of the crushed corriander seeds that were visible on the surface of the kebab. I might give it a try another time to see if they changed it. It is a self service restaurant. You enter the restaurant, grab a seat, get in line with the menu, palce the order at the counter, wait for your order with a buzzer, collect plates, glasses and cutlery for the table. Collect green and tamarind chutney from the fridge and pick up your food when the buzzer rings. All in all, a nice clean place to hang out with friends. We didn't tey their free chai but hope to next time. Great food! read more

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Earlier in the year i celebrated my birthday at Pakwaan with my friends and the entire experience was nothing short of exceptional. From the moment we walked in, the hosts made us feel incredibly welcome warm, attentive, and genuinely committed to making our evening special. The ambience was perfect for a celebration: elegant, lively, and inviting. But the real highlight was the food being absolutely phenomenal in every way. Every dish showcased remarkable freshness, bold flavors and meticulous preparation. We had a spread that included Chicken Boti, Paneer dishes, a couple of mutton varieties, and biryani, and each one was exquisite. The balance of spices, the tenderness of the meats, and the overall richness of the flavors were truly top notch. It was the kind of meal where every bite makes you appreciate just how good food can be and something I could happily enjoy day after day without hesitation. Pakwaan made my birthday celebration unforgettable, and I can't thank them enough for the experience. Highly, highly recommended for anyone looking for incredible Pakistani Indian cuisine, exceptional service, and an ambience that elevates any special moment. read more

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Fremont location is an institution. Do I really even need to tell you I do wish the Vegan options had more effort put into them with more flavor less oil. Aloo saag should have more Aloo We need more options for daal and more love, put into the vegetables. I hope people realize that vegetables are not a side. They can be the main just make them more flavorful and not overdone. As always, I'm super grateful for every bite of food we have and I am grateful for this establishment. People come from all over America to get their fix from Pakwan. read more

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Came here with the baby daddy on a Wednesday afternoon for lunch. Restaurant had a good amount of people already eating. Lots of to go orders while waiting for our food. It was both our first times eating here. You order at the counter, get a buzzer and seat yourself. We picked a nice window seat and I had a nice cup of chai ($2 with one free refill). Chai was delicious. Spicy and rich. Perfect for a chilly afternoon. Don't know if the chilled water carafes were tap or not but we opted to bring in our own waters. Our food took a little longer than expected to arrive but it was worth it. My husband said it's the best chicken tandoori he's ever had. It was perfectly seasoned with a great smoky char. The goat curry was phenomenal! It was rich and the depth of flavor was perfect with naan. We ordered garlic naan but I think plain naan would've complimented the curry better . The garlic naan was a little overpowering. All that came to about $45 including tax and tip for two people . Parking was smooth since they have a pretty generous parking lot. I'd recommend this place for family meals and lunch meetups. Will bring more people next time so we can try more items on the menu. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Goat Curry, Garlic Naan, Chicken Leg Tandoori, side of rice - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

We live in Menlo Park and wish Pakwan would have a location on the Peninsula! Nonetheless, every time we swing through the East Bay we make a point of either eating in or take out at Pakwan -- not only is their food delicious (just at the limit of our heat tolerance), the prices are quite decent. read more

Solid Indian food at Pakwan Restaurant. Order at the counter and view menu via QR code. During the lunch rush it gets busy. I enjoyed the mixed vegetable curry at $12.99 and garlic naan $3.49. The curry was mild but had good flavor. My friends got the chicken and goat biryani and the portion is big. The service could be nicer and friendlier but you're not there for the service. Parking lot available Restrooms outside Indoor and outdoor seating read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

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I have eaten here physically and have called to order. This restaurant is hard to miss, it is huge and and distinct. It always looked busy from the outside from early afternoon to late night. We finally got to try it when we were craving Indian food. Calling in was a huge headache. The number in yelp is not the right number to order? We don't know. All we know is when we showed up to pick up they said they didnt have our order. They gave us a calling card for next time. The number in the calling card was the same as yelp. I think someone just took our order and never passed it to the kitchen. Honestly who knows. After this when we were picking up our order other people were grabbing orders that aren't there's so someone took ours. Anyway we eventually got our order. The next time we went we ordered at the counter to eat inside. Staff were just rude. Had no interest to help us. We were standing there for a while before we were acknowledged. Our food didn't take too long and we stood sorta by the window to make sure no one took our order, sat down and ate. After all this, the food was good. Very flavorful and reasonably priced. I would go back here for the food and just ignore the bad service. lol read more

Really sold indian food. My favs were the biryani and this lamb curry that we got. The mango lassi was also really good. There were lots of families here as expected. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

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Food was very good. The goat curry & chicken tikka masala are comparable to most Indian restaurants. The tandoori chicken was great, not overly seasoned & moist inside. Sides of garlic naan & basmati rice, washed them down with chai. It was a Saturd evening, we got there @5:45 & there were only 2 small tables left. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

I came here because this place has a great reputation for its food, and I was looking forward to the experience. Unfortunately, my visit was negatively affected by an interaction with a staff member. I was getting tea, and the container was running low. Other customers before me tilted it slightly to pour the remaining tea, so when it was my turn, I did the same. A staff member who was clearing tables suddenly approached me in a loud and aggressive manner. I tried to stay calm and asked him to calm down as well, but his behavior continued and he made dismissive hand gestures that felt disrespectful. This interaction completely changed the mood of my visit, and I honestly couldn't enjoy my meal afterward. The food may be well known, but customer service matters too. I hope management works on making sure staff treat guests with respect and professionalism. read more

This place had the best and softest naan (Indian bread) amongst all the Indian/pakistani restaurants. It's what we call 'dhaba' food - which translates into a roadside cafe for truckers. So you are definitely not going for the ambiance. Today was a Saturday night and the Ramadan fast is about to end with Eid being celebrated tomorrow. The workflow of this place needs a lot of work. When you walk in, you are expected to hover over tables and only after that you can order food - so it might be hard for you to come alone. They took a very long time to get the food and had items missing (which they gave us quickly and without a fuss). The food is hot and tasty - which was the saving grace. Parking is also an issue, since it's a very sma read more

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Ambience is like a typical family Resturant with adults and kids a noise lol! Pretty much self service, order at counter and wait to be called! We had a plethora of items that were all on point, spicy just right, without any crazee heat! I'll be back because the freshness and flavor point was awesome! read more

Great Indian food. The water and plates were all self service and you just needed to find a seat then order at the counter. They have buzzers for when your food is ready. The food came out fairly quickly and the garlic nan was really good. Parking was good too. There is a small lot around the restaurant with a decent amount of parking. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Pakwan was pretty clean, and the dishes were very reasonable priced given the size. We got the chicken Tikka masala and it was rich and creamy, while the saag gosht was a bit too salty but still quite good. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Best tandoori chicken breast hands down in the East Bay! Pakwan is amazing -- we had such a great experience here. The proteins are absolutely fantastic. We tried the fish tandoori and chicken, and both were tender, flavorful, and cooked perfectly. Prices are really reasonable, and the restaurant itself is super clean. The staff even comes around to clean for you, which is such a nice touch. Everyone working there was friendly and helpful, which made our first visit even better. We can't wait to come back -- highly recommend! read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Amazing food! - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Pakwan is very popular for it's Pakistani/Indian eats. Building looks like a former Wienerschnitzel. Fam member picked up a to go order for me. Offerings: sides, nan, vegetarian, tandoori bbq, drinks, biryani, murgh pakwan chicken curries), gosht ke Pakwan (meat curries), meetha (dessert) Bites: naan (2.50) traveled well. Tasted fresh. Saved in fridge. Warmed in convection oven 10 min. Tasted fresh. 2 big pieces +tamarind & tomato sauces Achar Gosht (15.99) goat curry with roasted pepper. Traveled well. Placed in fridge. Simmered lightly with some water on stove 5ish min. Until hot. Tastes very fresh, as good as. -goat meat semi-tender, marinated in Pakistani herbs & spices. Labeled as "very spicy". Wasn't. Slight burning sensation in mouth similar to Chinese mala. Slight burn going down windpipe. Only gas later. No burning sensatins afterwards. Used nan to pair with goat curry. Later used nan to wrap goat curry with tomato and tamarind sauces. Deliz. Maybe lst time eating halal Pakistani food. Worthy. Some dishes travels well. Easy to reheat. read more

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We had been revisiting our favorite Bay Area restaurants during our most recent vacations and HAD to check Pakwan out again!!! We placed a takeout order from this restaurant. Line was chaotic. **We originally wanted to dine in but the place was packed at 9:00 PM!!!!** Food took a good 44 minutes to be ready. We hung out in our car during the wait. Goat Pulao was a special that night. It was packed with flavor. Meat was fall off the bone tender. Chicken Biriyani was delicious. It tasted the same as what I remember from circa 2007! Chicken Kofta and Goat Karai were flavorful but not spicy. Ian loved these. Naan and Jeera Rice were also good. I wish we had dined in and absorbed all the freshness at the restaurant itself but the takeout was equally good!!! Definitely have Pakwan as your dining destination! You will not regret it. read more

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Very authentic, every dishes are all full of flavors. Naan was really chewy and flavorful. Especially love their mango lassi was really good! read more

Absolutely delicious and flavorful food. You first order in the front and then you can find any open table if you plan on eating there. There's utensils, plates, and extra types of sauces available that you can freely grab. You pick up your food at the open window when it's ready. I absolutely love the goat curry and the chicken biryani, both have so much flavor and filled with spices, just be sure to look out for bones. The garlic naan is so soft, one of the best naans I have had. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Omg the food here is INCREDIBLE! I came here with friends for lunch on a weekday. This place is mostly self serve. First we ordered our food at a counter in the front before taking a seat and getting utensils, beverages, etc for ourselves. Our food came out all together at the counter we brought it to the table ourselves. Right off the bat I was shocked my how big their garlic naan was! I would definitely recommend sharing it especially if you plan to order rice. Chicken tikka-5* this was the most mind blowing chicken tikka! I was worried it would be dry or a little bit burnt, but it was all so juicy and perfectly cooked. The bone does make it a bit difficult to eat though I probably would have preferred having my own to eat it directly. Biryani- 4.5* perfectly seasoned! Probably the best biryani I've ever had but I also haven't had much. My only comment is that there want too much meat. Saag paneer and goat curry- 4* these were good but not anything super special. I feel like most of their more traditional dishes will probably be good. read more

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Food fresh, and I loved the chicken tandoori Service - takes time but not too late Nice ambiance and clean read more

When you enter, there are two lines to place your order. Sometimes the left one is for to-go orders, but often both lines serve both to-go and dine-in customers. The menu offers a variety of dishes, with their tandoori dishes and kababs being the standout options. After placing your order, you'll get a number for your table, and it will be displayed on two large screens when your food is ready. Most people get the $1 chai, and you'll need to grab the sweet tamarind sauce and savory mint-cilantro-yogurt sauce from the fridge near the entrance, where the water glasses and utensils are also located. This has been our go-to spot for tandoori dishes during our one-year stay in Fremont. We regularly ordered the juicy tandoori chicken legs, which have crispy skin and perfectly textured meat, as well as fresh onion and cilantro. We also enjoyed their ground kababs--whether lamb, chicken, or beef--they were consistently great. However, their biryanis and curries can be a bit bland and don't quite live up to the high expectations set by the many excellent Indian spots in the Bay Area. The ambiance is more like a busy cafeteria, with a lot of noise due to the constant movement and chair scraping. We've noticed that the diversity of patrons has increased significantly over the past year, no longer catering mainly to the Indian and Pakistani community--a testament to Pakwan's quality. Whenever we're back in the Bay, Pakwan is the first spot on our list for amazing tandoori dishes. We really miss having a place like this in SoCal! read more

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I've always heard this place was good and first time in 4 years living in Fremont I decided to try it. What we ordered: chicken tikka masala curry, butter chicken curry, lamb curry, garlic naan, rice and chai. Food was pretty delicious and I'd definitely be coming again. I was wondering why this place has such a low rating and after reading the reviews, I realized people complaining about food options, service and place itself. Yes, it's not a super fancy place and maybe there is a lack in something, but for its level - definitely deserves 5 stars. read more

The foods were absolutely wonderful delicious with reasonable portion. Definitely worth it to me to eat them again :) read more

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I ordered some BBQ, Nihari, Palak saag and naan togo. Requested tikka to be extra spicy and well done. Tikka was well done but extra layer of spice was missing. Seekh kabab, Nihari, Palak saag & naan were excellent. I requested naan to be cut in 1/2 or 1/4 but they refuse to do reason being if we are busy we choose not to. A bit of bad service specially for a togo customer. My question is what if a guest eats at the restaurant you wouldn't cut the naan? It takes less than a minute to cut 10 naan's. Hope this policy can be amended. read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Food is alway good We all enjoyed I have been coming for many years Only complain I have they need to change their furniture read more

I will give this place very bad now because I called at 5 o'clock seven bread for Ramadan fasting and the Manager refused to give me the bread because they had other customers. I understand that part but if you want more customers and I'm one of them to order bread, seven of them, I walked in at 5 o'clock inside a restaurant to order seven breads and they refuse to give me seven breads and this Ramadan really it's very ridiculous. Very bad specially the Manager I know him. He has a very bad customer service you here to make money at that restaurant and we're here to spend money to buy bread food whatever you don't talk to customer like that during Ramadan and I'm fasting. read more

Ordered some food last weekend to take to our retired caucasian friends on a visit to Gilroy- they happen to love indo-pak food. Ordered Tandoori chicken breasts, karahi gohst, mutton biryani, Chicken tikka masala and naans to go. Food was packed and ready for pick up by the time we drove to Fremont location from Pleasanton. We checked that everything we ordered was in the bags and headed to Gilroy to treat our retired friends to a nice lunch at their retirement home. Food was very fresh, tasty, and flavorful. I was pleasantly surprised how tender the tandoori chicken breasts were. The mutton biryani was well seasoned and good portion and mutton curry was very yummy and tender as well. All in all a fabulous lunch and will definitely go there again for to go orders. One thing to note is whoever answered the phone when I called to order spoke good English, listened patiently instead of sounding rushed and repeated the order which showed good customer service and professionalism. read more

Close to $90 for two people food and they won't give you a cup of tea complementary also I noticed the kitchen area is Nasty. Won't recognize this restaurant to anyone. read more

Went for lunch today. Ordered Chicken Biryani looked and felt old. Ordered chicken tikka masala. They gave butter chicken. Even naan did not feel fresh. When I complained he just looked at me. No comments from the Cashier read more

ok, obviously this place is elite. I mean it's super popular, price point is decent and it's bustling. But let me take you back 20 years. this place used to be better, i'm talking food was better, price ofc dirt cheap in comparison today and service was amazing. We still go back here, but the staff and service that run it, they are not as accomodating or friendly like they used to. I am not sure why this is the case. They even got upset when we asked for it to be packed up (because they told us that would be faster). Anyways, perhaps that was a misunderstanding on my end. Food- portions are small IMO. taste- great, oily, but great Price-average Ambience- busy, packed at times Will we go back ofc we will, but just wish it could go back to how the OG owner ran it, which was superb and 5/5. read more

Pakwan PAcKs a punch in flavor ;-) My family and I tried the chicken biryani, chicken korma, mixed vegetables, chicken seekh kababs, naans, mango lassi, and chai. Everything was incredibly delicious, flavorful, and the food had the perfect level of spice. However, the only thing I didn't like is the chai. Perhaps a little more milk or less brewing would make it taste better. The food came out at an efficient time. read more

Food is great.. service could be better.. and take out definitely needs improvement process wise and also getting it accurate. 2 times in a row they have missed items in my order and I only found out once arriving back home and then they done answer phone as it is busy all the time. read more

Always great food here! They have the best goat curry be careful it's spicy! I usually get that an garlic naan

Really good, authentic tasting food. We like the mutton bhuna best. Chicken biryani is good too. Chicken curries are hit or miss. I found the time to get the food quite long plus you have to pick up plates, silverware, water everything yourself. That wasn't so great. read more

FIRE!!!! thank you so much. best naan and curry of my life. the chai was also delightful read more

Pakwan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Fremont, California

Their biryani is to die for. Amazing food. Very big portions. Would recommend their daily specials also. Giving 4 stars instead of 5 because they didn't have any naan or rice left 30 minutes before closing... read more