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    Shahnai Restaurant

    3.1 (135 reviews)
    InexpensiveIndian, Pakistani, Buffets
    Closed 11:00 am - 11:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

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    SHAHNAI RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Classy
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Shahnai Restaurant

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    Lingyun Z.

    Not a well known place but their chicken biryani is good, second only to Aga's but cheaper

    Naan complimentary with the buffet
    Diana C.

    Tucked inside a large shopping center, Shania Restaurant is truly a hidden gem. First and foremost, we found out the hard way that Indian restaurants typically don't offer buffet style dinners on the weekends. After calling at least 10 various restaurants, Shahnai was 1 of 2 that offered a dinner time buffet. After researching on yelp, the picture for this place looked pretty good so we decided to give it a try. The dinner buffet (weekday and weekends) is only $10.99, which is very reasonable for their many offerings! The lunch buffet rings in at a whopping $1 cheaper. It was pretty empty when we walked in Saturday night around 6:30, but we weren't deterred by that as our stomachs growled. We went straight to the buffet and were pleasantly greeted by a plethora of Indian items: saag paneer, chicken tikki masala, chickpeas and cauliflower, lo mein (okay this doesn't really fit in), biriyani, goat curry, chicken kebabs, and more. Even though the place was relatively quiet (I heard a warning once that you don't go to a empty buffet cause the food will be old and cold, since there's no incentive for the cook to bring out new fresh foods!), I felt that the food was still fresh and hot. As we sat down, the skies opened up and a basket of naan descended upon us...hallelujah. Unfortunately, the naan didn't appear very fresh as it was cold and some pieces were even a bit tough to chew. No worries though, because as soon as I tasted the saag paneer, everything bad in the world disappeared. The taste of this saag paneer was on point. My favorite saag paneer to date (and I've been on many dates with different saag paneers...) I enjoyed it so much, I went back for seconds, and then thirds. The rest of the meats and curries were pretty darn good too (the lo mein was surprisingly appetizing, the chickpea curry was flavorful, and the chicken kebab was tasty and juicy.) All in all, I would definitely come back here for an Indian craving. Don't pass on this place just because it's tucked deep inside a shopping center in Hillcroft. Bonus round: the buffet offers mango lassi included on the buffet price!

    Ice cream!
    Shane B.

    I've been coming here for about 15 years. The food is always excellent and the butter chicken is the best of any restaurant I've tried. (Seriously, try the butter chicken. It's the best.) Also try the Crown Kulfi ice cream. Simply outstanding!

    Seasoned fried fish, chicken tikka, naan
    Yasser H.

    I was invited for an event at Shahnai's party hall and Shahnai restaurant had catered the dinner service. It was a nice sized hall and it can hold at least 300 people. Normally inside the restaurant they have an all day buffet, but customers can order from a la carte menu also. Our dinner include the following items: Chicken Tandoori/Tikka Lahori Fish Biryani Chicken Korma Spicy eggplant (Baingun) Haleem and Naan The dinner was on point, and there was plenty of food to get second servings. There were no complaints regarding food service. You can find most of those items on the daily buffet. I've been going to Shahnai for years and it has been a gamble but for the most part, I've been able to enjoy my buffet or specialized dinner.

    a refrigerator full of soft drinks

    Best place I have eaten for Butter Chicken. Not your standard flavor! Biryani, Tandoori Chicken, Palak Paneer, Naan Bread also very good! A casual setting makes this a nice place to eat. 5 stars!

    Sign maker dropped the H in Shahnai :-)

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    16 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    10 years ago

    Best Indian food ever. Best service. You never go wrong in Shahnai. They have the best catering service as well. Food always Fresh. The best

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    10 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Decent Indian food in Houston. A place to visit if your are in Houston with an appetite for Indian delicacies.

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    15 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Went here for a friends wedding reception - the food was ok....service was not too great. I would give it an ehhh.....could do much better.

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    10 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    11 years ago

    Very Delicious food, the taste which I want I got it there... thanks to Shahnai Management keep it up....

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    Page 4 of 4

    Ask the Community - Shahnai Restaurant

    Review Highlights - Shahnai Restaurant

    Best Pakistani lunch buffet in Hilcroft area.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Good service and clean. Food was okay; tasted and presented well…read more Restaurant was so cold that the servers were all wearing jackets and coats. So cold that it limited us from enjoying the meal I will not be going back because of the high levels of MSG in the food. It took 2 days to cleans it out of my system. If you can tolerate MSG, then it could be of good value.

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    1. Service - the hostess and wait staff were outstanding and attentive. They filled your drinks as…read moresoon as it hit midway, and they took your plates away as soon as it was empty. When you come in, wait to be seated, order and pay at the table. 2. Price - approximately $15 a plate. 3. Ambiance - Classy restaurant. I love the white linen on the tables. Soft music, white and red walls with Thai decor. Natural lighting during the day with warm interior lighting. It appears that there has been a makeover to the restaurant. I like the new look more. It seems more upscale in appearance. Dress code here is business casual. 4. Food - I've had their YELLOW CURRY WITH CHICKEN AND WHITE RICE. Curry is a bit sweet to my liking, but overall, it was a good meal. Will have to try other dishes next time. Food presentation is nicely plated. Not messy or sloppy. 5. Cleanliness - dining area is clean. The waitstaff keeps this place in tip top shape. The only complaint I have, although not exactly about cleanliness, I would suggest that management take a look at the lock in the men's restroom. Although it was locked, someone was able to enter still. SUMMARY This is a petite Thai cafe. Everything about this place was enjoyable. I would definitely come back to try again and will highly recommend this place.

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    The difference between Royal Buffet (君臨閣) and other Chinese buffets around this part of town comes…read moredown to size and variety. The plus side (#1) is the abundant parking, practically guaranteed seating, and options that skew on the more authentic side of things. The downside is knowing the limitations that come with affordably priced buffets and quality of food. The official entrance is from the parking lot between Vinh Hoa (#2) and the massage. Plenty of folks will also enter from the back, which is through the Dynasty Plaza mall and takes a bit longer. It then becomes a question of stairs (parking lot) versus an escalator (mall). At $18-24 (lunch to holiday pricing), the prices aren't too steep for AYCE food. Kids 3 and under eat free but are otherwise subject to $13-14 per person. Non-water drinks are $2.39 a person, so definitely get as many refills as possible. The place is as massive on the inside as it looks on the outside. Window side seating offers an elevated view of Chinatown, but don't focus too much on the excessive finger prints along the windows. The seating is so abundant that almost any size group should have zero problem finding space. There is also a large private room that is ideal for special functions, equipped with TVs and a sound system. Food wise, it's a hodgepodge of all food types. Here's a breakdown in the stations: Mongolian Grill / Noodle Soup: This is a combo station where one can customize their stir fry. I had decent results with lo mein, an egg, some vegetables with beef slices. The person cooking drizzled sesame oil, soy sauce seasoning, and water and each time it took around 3-5 minutes. The noodle soups are a bit more standard but the options here are the noodle options are wonton noodle, beef noodle, seafood noodle, and beef pho. I wouldn't recommend ordering the latter. Fruits & Salads / Cold Dishes / Seafood: A standard selection of cold fruit salads, which is unsurprisingly the least exciting part of the buffet. I'm impressed with the variety of the sushi on the seafood end, but the presentation and fish quality is extremely mediocre. It won't deter most folks, since most people perceive value by loading up on the rolls. When in doubt, shoot for the sashimi. Entrees: With the exception of the eyesore dim sum and standard fried food selection, there is a solid selection of hot food. The weekend offerings is probably the best they'll have, but some standouts here included the thin ribeye slices, a solid mapo tofu with a kick, well seasoned clams, fish slices, pork spare ribs, a very solid steamed fish, and several varieties of fried noodle. Folks might enjoy the Chinese-American selection, which should have all the classics (sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, marinated chicken wings, etc.) and then some. Serviced as a decent job of clearing tables, offering water refills, cleaning the food counters, and replenishing empty trays. I appreciate some small touches, such as their multicolored plates for different selections, bathrooms, and well marked labels. Buffet lovers who are in it for the thrill of copious portions will likely enjoy what's available here. __________ (#1) Aside from one's waistline. (#2) https://www.yelp.com/biz/vinh-hoa-houston

    I'm reviewing from the POV of an allium-free vegetarian. The owner of the now closed Pine Forest…read moreworks here and they have an entire two rows (?) of vegetarian food that he is in charge of. It's pretty decent and takes up almost 50% of what they offer, so not bad if you follow a vegetarian diet. Do note that you pay the same price regardless of what you eat. Likely not food allergy friendly; we fed my kid with the food allergies before we came. This place is fairly new and is on the second floor of Dynasty Plaza. A decent amount of parking but it can fill up fast during the busy hours as there are a lot of restaurants there. We initially scouted out the place a week before and it was almost empty, but we did go during the slow hours. This time, I met up with my omnivorous friend at noon and there were a good amount of tables that were occupied. It is a huge space so if it were smaller, it would seem busier, but most people spread out. It's about $18 per person for the weekdays and about $24 per person on the weekends. Kids are around $11 each. This price does not include the beverage station/drinks but you do get complimentary water. There's a sign saying you can't stay for longer than 2 hours. You pay first and then seat yourself... almost. Someone came with us with our waters and asked us where we wanted to sit and placed our drinks on the table. We chose a more isolated place. They don't have actual napkin dispensers. Every table has soy sauce, sriracha, and a bag of napkins. No caddy. Very casual. They offer a lot of different foods. You can order stir fry/noodles that they make just for you, there's an international section consisting of fried chicken, fries, even a few soups, a sushi section, fruit and salads, the 2 vegetarian sections I mentioned earlier, and a dessert section. I honestly just focused on the vegetarian and dessert sections. The food was good as expected. Less greenery than one would think when you think of vegetarian food but there is some. I thought it was pretty good except for the fact that I could only eat one full plate, but I managed to sample almost everything in that one plate. They've got things you might recognize from Pine Forest but also items that are new, so that is nice. They have an interesting shaved ice section, but the ice is sitting there... but the ice bed it's on isn't cold enough to keep it from melting. I like the idea, but the execution could be much better. They have small diced fruit, beans, and grass jelly as well as random liquids you can add on (syrup)? I think that they could definitely provide bowls of fresh shaved ice (the guy manning that counter looked pretty bored) and offer more toppings where the platter of shaved ice is. The dessert section is a bunch of cakes, but they do offer individual cups of Blue Bunny ice cream (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate). My kid loved the mango one the most. She ate 3. I thought the mocha (?) one I tried was on the dry side. My friend got a chocolate one and she agreed. Overall, pretty decent if you go for the vegetarian items. The price of $18 isn't terrible, especially if you eat more than me. However, I'm not sure if it's worth it to pay $24 on the weekends. My kids don't eat a lot; my daughter only ate a few bites of the rice noodles and 3 mango cakes. There's a reason why we don't bring them to buffets. BUT if you've got a big eater for a child, then go right ahead. I definitely think drinks should be included. It's a BUFFET. As for the meat items, my friend said they were okay. The seafood could be more fresh. They should label better though. Some sections have labels but they're mostly wrong. The restrooms are sound the side and we're pretty clean. I like how they have a lower sink for kids/wheelchairs. They definitely have some things to improve on and iron out overall. The Pine Forest owner did say that they might get rid of the vegetarian section. Once that happens, I guess this place won't be an option for us. Not sure if that will mean they'll focus on more meat items, but perhaps they should perfect/improve on what they already have if the reviews I've heard on those are mediocre instead of doing too much.

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    I had a fantastic time at Sweet Kpot! From the moment we walked in, the staff was welcoming and…read moreattentive. The restaurant has a clean, modern vibe and the atmosphere is energetic but still comfortable. The food was really good as well! At first, my boyfriend and I didn't expect much, but everything that we ordered turned out to be amazing :) Our favorites was the bulgogi wrap, shrimp and mushroom skewers, candied potatoes, and the bingsu! Definitely will be back :)

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    Gen Korean BBQ House

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    This BBQ spot felt like the kind of place where you can truly slow down and enjoy a good meal…read more The aroma of grilled meat fills the air, but in a warm, comforting way rather than anything overwhelming. The meat was fresh and perfectly cooked--crispy on the outside, tender inside, and deeply satisfying. The side dishes were thoughtfully done as well, light and refreshing. I really appreciated the atmosphere here--relaxed, unpretentious, and just right for a long conversation or even a quiet meal on your own. Service was easygoing and attentive in a very natural way--present when needed, never intrusive. Overall, it's the kind of place I'd happily return to--not just for the food, but for how comfortable it makes you feel.

    After not visiting for several years, I was excited to give this place another try, but…read moreunfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations. The first red flag was arriving to find the banchan and salad already sitting on the table. Everything was warm, which made it seem like it had been sitting out for a while rather than being freshly served. After placing our order, only part of the meal arrived. We eventually had to ask about the missing soup and japchae. When the soup finally came out, it was cold. We later learned the wrong bowl had been brought out. Once the correct soup arrived, it was piping hot, packed with flavor, and had just the right amount of spice, easily one of the highlights of the meal. My husband was especially disappointed to learn that the beef belly, the dish he specifically came for, was completely sold out...on a Friday night. The fried shrimp also came out cold, and the popcorn chicken was underwhelming. Thankfully, not everything missed the mark. The beef bulgogi and kalbi were both flavorful and satisfying, and the pork cheek was served in generous, meaty portions that were perfect for sharing. Overall, the meal felt inconsistent. There were a few standout dishes, but between the service delays, missing items, and several dishes arriving cold, the experience didn't live up to the memories I had of dining here years ago. Would I come back? Probably not. Houston has too many great Korean BBQ options to overlook this many service and quality issues. While a few dishes were enjoyable, the overall experience simply wasn't worth the visit.

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    Shahnai Restaurant - indpak - Updated August 2026

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