Shalimar's a mixed bag. Here's the contents. 1. Pros A. Five of us ate a shit-ton of food (it's a technical term) for $65. B. Their BYOB policy meant I could have Newcastle with my naan. C. While I am not aware of exactly what everything I ate was, it was all pretty decent. 2. Cons A. At the beginning of the meal, they brought a plate of what was essentially onions and what I think we decided were sliced jalapenos. Obviously, to add to dishes as we saw fit. I tend to like my food spicy, so pay attention to what I'm about to say: the sliced jalapenos tore my ass up. I had to beg for some yogurt sauce to kill the fire before my eyes popped out of my head. I was sweating like a whore in church for the rest of the meal. B. While we had a LOT of different dishes, each of the individual dishes was actually pretty darn small. Like, no more than 3 people could split a dish and have more than a bite or two apiece. Almost like Indian tapas. C. When you bring us something like 12 plates of food, it's probably wise to bring more than one plate of rice. D. When I left at 10:30, I looked around and realized that almost none of the other patrons were wearing pink-striped, French-cuffed shirts with matching ties and a suit. Note to self: greater situational awareness is probably needed unless you'd like to get stabbed some day. read more

Do you ever have one of those mornings where you wake up in a bit of a haze, and the first question on your mind is "What the fuck happened to me last night and why does my shirt smell like Tandoori chicken?!" I thought so. Seriously though, while I definitely remembered everything that happened to me last night, the most memorable part was the fantastic Indian meal I had in one of the most unsuspecting places in the Tenderloin. Shalimar is a tiny, dirty, filthy hole-in-the wall, serving up some serious, and I mean SERIOUS Indian food. Nice pungent, greasy chicken tikka marsala. An amazingly thick, chunky, and delicious saag. Some whole-lentil dal that's tasty if not surprising, and a fantastic set of naan. With prices ranging from dirt-cheap to slightly less-dirty, and served up in cheap plastic plates that have seen many moons. The mise en scene was that of an Asian night market, filled mostly with locals, where you get the best of blue collar food at even-bluer-collar-prices. We were shepherded into Shalimar by a local who claims it's some of the best Indian in the area, and I am tempted to believe his assertions. As we sat in the little space sipping beer from discrete paper cups (they told us no more BYOB, so we hid it) we watched them pull giant skewer after giant skewer of seasoned chicken from the oven, the pungent smoke hanging thick in the air. Doused in a thick red curry, that same chicken descended upon my palate like rickety speedboat full of Somali pirates descends upon an unwary container ship navigating dangerous waters. Quick, sneaky, then POW! My taste-buds have just been held ransom, and the only thing that will save them is a combination of garlic naan and more tikka marsala. I unfortunately found this place on my last night of a week in The City, but Shalimar has instantly become my new go-to Indian when I am in the area. I fear that I have been permanently ruined on Portland Indian food now, since none have come close to the filthy brilliance dished up by Shalimar. read more

So Shalimar isn't the classiest restaurant in the world, nor is it in the best neighborhood. So it's in the Tenderloin. So the place is really shabby. So everything is served in scratched up plastic plates and bowls. So it's self-served. So the bathroom is absolutely disgusting. So I saw a drug transaction right outside the window as I was dining. So my friend wouldn't let me walk here or back to BART on my own. But it's still good. It's still good. I've been hearing about the wonders of Shalimar for quite some time, yet it wasn't till I took my friend out for his birthday dinner last week that I actually tried it. From their menu that day, this is what we ordered: #25 Palak Aloo Methi #33 Paneer Masala #11 Naan -A-Akbar #15 Shalimar Chawal #4B Banarsi Kheer (rice custard!) I like ordering by numbers! Everything was delicious, albeit the curry dishes being a bit too salty. The naan was warm and fluffy and the rice was perfect. The rice custard was unnecessarily too sweet, though still delicious! It was exciting and thrilling, yet scary, to eat because there were all sorts of mystery solids inside, all sorts of nuts and pods. And guess what? Everything cost just $17.85. Super cheap! And their green chutney sauce, was AMAZING. I'm a condiment whore and when there are LARGE squeeze bottles at my disposal, I go to town! Actually, before I went to town, I went to heaven first when I saw how many full bottles that they had in their fridge. I used it on everything except for the custard. And when I had nothing else to use it on, I squirted it into my spoon and drank it like soup. So good! I ended up eating over half the bottle on my own. Compared to all the other Indian restaurants I've been to, this one actually has surprisingly good service. Plates, utensils and napkins were brought to us, and when the food was brought out, each plate was introduced instead of just tossed onto the table. I can dig it. So if you're brave enough to trek out to the Tendernob, Shalimar is where you'll find cheap, delicious Indian/Pakistani food with some seriously AMAZING chutney. read more

I love the food they serve in Shalimar-The taste is awesome, though it is on the greasier side. I've never seen rats, though I've been there at least 10 times. Why only three stars? Well, the place is very crowded, smelly, loud and I have suspicious thought that this isn't the cleanest place on the earth. read more

Now, I'm sure all of you have either eaten here and written a review, or still eaten here and still recuperating. I would contribute 5 stars for Shalimar if it wasnt for the oil. A dark, translucent, thick, consistent layer of floating oil on the top. 100% punjabi style. Hole-in-the-wall has always been a SF pride, and Shalimar wouldnt turn you down on that experience. Food can be pretty fucking good sometimes, especially the kabobs. I wouldnt endorse the friday biryani ritual. Also, most veggie dishes are pretty standard and doable. Word of advice: Get a couple of dark beer's while savoring on Shalimar. You'll need it to soak all the spices down. read more

The closest thing I've found in the US to an honest-to-goodness dhaba -- the Indian equivalent of a greasy spoon. Cafeteria-style tables, paper menus with curry splotches on them, and a harried-looking guy behind the counter who calls you "bhai-sa'b" (roughly, "bro-sir"). That's right, I got bhai-sa'bed in the Tenderloin. In fact, the entire ordering conversation took place in Hindi/Urdu, though I didn't realize this until a moment later. I've seen a couple of these dhaba-type places in Canada, but Indian restaurants in the US are usually not quite so casual, and everything normally costs about 50% more. I suspect that the people running this place are Punjabi, and probably from the Pakistani side of Punjab. The default red meat here is beef (though there are a couple of lamb dishes on the menu), and there are a few classic subcontinental Muslim dishes like nihari and haleem, and biryani without any of that raisin-and-cashew nonsense. There's also a tandoor, with the usual array of naans and kababs. I like that you can get a single serving of kabab for a couple of bucks, rather than having to order a whole plate of them. I got a chicken tikka masala, seekh kabab, and naan. The food was a bit greasy (OK, technically submerged in a pool of grease), but that's to be expected at a place like this. Not the tastiest Indian food you can find, but satisfying in a diner-ey sort of way. I'm glad this place is here, and that it offers some dishes beyond the usual palak paneer and chicken tikka masala and naan that you get at every other Indian restaurant in America. (Yes, I'm aware that I ordered two of these dishes. I am hypocritical that way.) read more

This place is honestly some of the best Indian food I have eaten. Been coming here for a few years. The location is pretty sketchy, however, come here in broad daylight or during commute hours and you have nothing to worry about. Further, the inside of the restaurant is fairly bare bones/old, but the food is VERY worth it. Everything on the menu here is good! From the chicken tikka masala to their fire roasted chicken I would get anything and everything here. Only downside is that this place accepts cash only. Regardless I would recommend this place 100x over to anyone that enjoys Indian food! read more

When she was 5, my beautiful niece sat on my grandfather's lap, looked up at him like she was about to win a prize, pointed to his belly, and said, "I know what that is... You're gonna have a baaaaby!" Never have I been more proud of my niece than I was at that moment, and never did I better understand my grandfather's reaction ("that's it, Dorotha, I'm going on a diet!") as I do every time I leave Shalimar, preggers and shamed. If you like exotic spice and third world decor, you'll find no better place to partake in such taxi-stop delights as chicken botti, chicken kofta, saag gosht, and chickpeas, all with a little aromatic rice and naan. And if that's not enough exotic spice for you, just jingle the change in your pocket as you walk out into the Tenderloin. You'll find some more coming your way. read more

Shalimar, a diamond in the rough, a temple of gluttony, a purveyor of fantastical gastronomic aphrodisiacs. Or simply, the place that serves the best Pakistani/Indian food this side of the planet. I love food and I have a special place in my heart for Mughlai food - the lavish cuisine invented by Mughal chefs, through careful assimilation of ingredients and craft of Arabic, Mongolian, Persian, Portuguese and Vedic schools, to please the keen palate of Kings who considered their food to be as much art as the Taj Mahal. That very cuisine, in one of its finer forms, by way of globalization, is being dished out at less than 5 bucks a plate, smack in the middle of our beloved Tenderloin. Don't pay heed to the misguided folks here who are comparing lesser places like Pakwan and Lahore Karai to Shalimar. It's insulting at best and blasphemy at worst. Shalimar stands tall, offering its magical repertoire, with in-human consistency to anyone who brings dollar bills and a growling stomach. Everything on the menu is worth trying, though certain dishes will bring you closer to Nirvana than others. One of my favorites is the Chicken Kofta, the ambrosial balls of minced chicken in a piquant curry, quite unlike anything else I've come across in my illustrious career of devouring Mughlai food. Then there is Nihari. Nihari is a beef stew from Pakistan and rather hard-to-find due to the holy status of the Cow in certain parts of India. It's sinfully good and sinus-blasting hot. Originally a delicacy, this is one of the many Mughal dishes that is cooked overnight to imbue that mouth-melting consistency and deep spice flavor into the beef. I like to eat it last, on its own, with rice and nan, because its distinctive aroma is best appreciated solo. The only acceptable accompaniment is a plate of cool raita, which serves well to pacify the peppered palate. The nans are brilliant. They are best if they are straight out of the oven. Order them as you go and if you feel your nan has been sitting too long, just order a new one. Be stingy with rice, use it only to finish off the curry in dishes like the Kofta and Nihari which are brimming with it. Most of your carbs should come the wonderful nans. Another delight of note is the Tandoori Chicken. This is a whole leg of Chicken, marinated in yogurt and dry spices and slow cooked in the wood burning oven. It's deliciously tender, mildly spiced and fastidiously observed by the chef to ensure it retains its original juices. Tandoori Chicken makes a perfect appetizer. However, since it's slow cooked and in high demand, it might turn up after the other dishes, which is fine too. But, please, hold the leg in your two able hands and bite into it with your teeth! As the adage goes, "eating Indian food with a knife and fork is like making love through an interpreter." The Tandoori Lamb Chops are the Lamp equivalent of Tandoori Chicken. These are every bit as succulent and substantive as their Chicken counterpart. I tend to alternate between the two. I often order Haleem, a hardy dish made out of wheat, lentils and beef which has the consistency of mashed potatoes. Haleem has a very mild flavor, and it stands out due to its mostly pure Persian heritage. It's comfort food, Pakistan-style. The palak (aka spinach) dishes, chicken and paneer, are well executed, though they don't make my soul sing. People swear by them, so perhaps you'll enjoy them too. The subji (mixed vegetable) is quite good and nicely rounds up the diet. For the devoted foody, or the simply adventurous, the menu also offers Brain Masala, as in lamb brains lightly fried in onions, tomato and spices. I order it from time to time, usually out of alcohol imbibed bravado. The taste is rather hard to place, somewhere in the vicinity of cheese or scrambled eggs, but with an undertone of something quite complex, perhaps a mammalian brain. There are, of course, other delectable items on the menu, but I won't call them out because I don't believe they are as inspired as the wonders I mention. Please do try them however, as they still leave a lot of what passes for epicurean in the dust. Whatever you order, you can be certain of one thing: the talent and the love, that the merry-band of unassuming lads behind the counter pour into every dish, will stand out, clear as day, unsmirched by the cloying pretense of high-food or the hubris of gourmand chefs. Oh, and remember to BYOB. read more

I don't think that I'm the best judge of Indian food considering I enjoy the boxed palak paneer from Trader Joe's but nonetheless, here goes my take. This is another hole in the wall joint that I'd heard raves about for months since I became a loin dweller. I had been wanting to try it for a while but it's rare that I feel like ordering Indian food since it's so heavy. I finally found my excuse when my friend and I walked back from that lame excuse for a Yelp holiday party (or as I like to call it, a really long line) and decided to swing by and get take out from Shalimar. We ordered the chicken korma, palak paneer and onion naan. The naan was the best part for me. The chicken korma was a close second but the palak paneer was a little too oily for me. They did a pretty good job of keeping it mild even though when I asked them for less spice they looked at me like I was an alien. read more

DON'T FORGET TO B.Y.O.B. There's a convenience store just downn the block where you can buy some beers if you forgot to bring your own from home. Here's the rundown of the "system" so you don't look like a moron. 1) B.Y.O.B! Be sure to bring your own opener ;) 2) walk in, and get in line. Seat yourself when a table opens up. In order. Try not to get into a fight.... 3) Go to table as soon as you see one open. THey will bus it soon. Note the table number. 4) Send your representative(s) to the main counter where he/she/they will order your food. Be sure to know what you're doing, or the guy will get surly and impatient. 5) pick up some cups, plates, and silverware for your table 6) BREAK OUT THE BEERS/WINE and wait for your food. 7) after you eat, you ask for the check and pay at the table. I'm pretty sure it's CASH ONLY. About the food, well, what can I say that hasn't been said already? Top notch authentic curries and pakistani food. The tandoori chop here RAWKS. But I must say, Lahore Karahi, in my book, is giving them a run for their money. Try to get here for Goat Curry night ( I think Thursdays?).... awesome stuff. 5 stars for the food. -1 stars for the "ambience" or lack thereof. read more

Shalimar does not need another review but my meal was memorable so here you go. I read the reviews and wasn't sure what to expect other than THE BEST INDIAN FOOD AND DIRTY BATHROOM IN SF. I actually went to the loo before leaving my house so I wouldn't have to use the one at Shalimar. I'm in a bit of a food coma so in no particular order: -I had dinner with my significant other who is Indian. He frequents Shalimar often so they recognize him. It's Saturday at 7pm, the place was packed when we walked in. . .the SO and the host (owner?) start talking to each other in Hindi what sounds to me like a lot of shouting. A table is immediately cleaned off for us. -Shalimar is dirty. One of the guys who works there wiped the table off with a rag that must have been soaked with oil, ghee, who knows but I sat down and rested my elbows on the table and they sort of stuck. So I rubbed whatever it was on my elbows to moisturize, got some napkins and gave the table another wipe. -Smoky smoky smoky. My eyes were burning. This place is smoky! The grill was smoking off the hizzle and literally we could have all used a pair of goggles. At one point, a lady (Indian) got up from her table, opened the front door and stuck her head out for a few mins. No, she did not walk out of the restaurant, she stuck only her head out. I smell like grill right now. -Eating at Shalimar is messy. I'm not so crazy about eating with my fingers. I had to let that go tonight at Shalimar. You know when people shake a champagne bottle and pop it open P. Diddy style while partying and spray it all over everyone? My SO was just about doing that with the green chutney sauce, sure it's good but is that normal? -Extreme eating. Totally extreme eating. The food here was really good. I couldn't stop eating the naan and yogurt sauce with the green chutney sauce. We ordered some saucy homemade cottage cheese thing, grilled tandoori chicken, daal, lamb. It was all spicy but not so spicy that I can't taste anything now. It was still spicy, my nose was running, my eyes were watering (from the smoke), our table was unbalanced and the water pitcher kept slipping towards the edge, plates were stacked, children were running around waving cell phones in the air with funny music playing on them, people yelling from the front of the house to the back. . .this meal was extreme. -The SO spent the better part of his childhood in India. He says that Shalimar is the bomb. Watching him eat at Shalimar was fun. In all the chaos of Shalimar, he was calm and looked right at home. That is saying something. I felt like I was watching a movie happen around me. Is it always like that at Shalimar? I don't know but I do know that it was the most eventful meal I've ever had. read more

The goat karahi and chicken Tikka masala are very rich and right on point, the garlic naan is fresh and serves its juice mopping purposes well. Not a place you want to go for conversation though, not much seating and some pressure to eat and get out. The food is very reasonable for the quality you get. read more

Yeah, yeah, yeah. The food here is good, it's cheap and they let you bring in your own alcohol. But you can figure all that out from the other reviews. Gas rating: 500 It is clear that many types of food give me gas. Some experiences have been so memorable that I still refer to them by title such as the Broccoli casserole incident of 2005, or the garlic-fry incident of the 2006 Giant's-A's game. But this incident my friends will go down in history as the gassiest I have EVER BEEN IN MY LIFE. Obviously Indian food is going to give me some gas. I'm not naive. We were having girl's night out, and there was some talk of going dancing afterwards, and I knew this wasn't a good idea. But we were enthralled by the idea of bringing our own wine so I went along with things. But then...it happened. One of the girls' ordered garlic naan. And I loooooove me some garlic. There was an incident over the summer where I consumed half a head of roasted garlic, and after two days of excreting garlic gas and sweat I vowed to moderate my garlic consumption. But this night, the garlic spoke to me. It said - you're with the girls. No one's trying to hook up tonight. We'll all be gassy. You're going to have gas anyway, it's Indian food. Might as well indulge. And indulge I did. Words cannot describe what happened to me for the next 12 hours. We went out dancing and within an hour, it became clear that I was not fit to be out in public. Every time I took a sip of beer, out would come a noxious, floor-clearing burp. I tried doing walk-by burpings where I would burp and then leave the scene of the crime, but really, there are only so many places you can go in a club. I couldn't dance, I couldn't have a conversation with anyone and I couldn't sit in a corner for fear that the air would become so foul they would call a haz-mat team. So I left. Little did I know, the burping was only the beginning of the cycle. Several hours later, as the food traveled downward...so did the gas. It was girl's night out so we were going to have a slumber party, but for the sake of slumber and friendships, I decided to go elsewhere and sleep in isolation. Actually, I left to have gas in isolation because let me tell you, there was precious little sleep that was had. I had gas All. Night. Long. That's right people. I didn't sleep for the whole night. My gas was loud. It caused my body to move from the explosions. I could feel it building in waves. It was awful. The next morning, the only thing more awful than the gas itself, was my own breath as I was brushing my teeth. It was garlic, and gas, and Indian food. I wanted to kill myself. No one who can create that smell, deserves to live. I brushed for a looooong time. Moral of the story - don't eat the garlic naan unless you plan to spend the next couple of days at home. Alone. With the windows open. And the fan on. And do yourself a favor. Go buy some Gas-X. read more

Wow- fantastic find for the late night, I've-been-testing-the-limits-of-my-liver- dining options in the Tenderloin. This place introduced me to new pakistan/indian food horizons with their brain masala dish. Paired with the Chicken Jalfrezi, chana, lamb chop tandoori, naan and free chai and you simply can't go wrong! The food was quite good with prices to match. I would recommend avoiding the bathroom and the raving homeless guy outside (unless you have some extra naan for him), but other than that- it a must- experience place in SF. read more

4.5 stars. I've only tried Shalimar once (we got take-out on 03/08/10 from the Jones St. location) and all the luscious flavors are still fresh in my memory. We were aiming for Lahore Karahi initially but it's closed on Mondays so we ended up looking for an alternative: Shalimar it was (and a good one at that). For 3 people, we ordered: * GARLIC NAAN - $2.50 * ALOO PARATHA - $2.00 * CHICKEN KOFTA - $6.95 - [5/5 - Very well seasoned, amazing blend of spices, great texture - soft but not mushy.] * CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA - $6.95 - [5/5 - We LOVED this version of chicken tikka masala so much, the 3 of us attacked & conquered this dish before we got to everything else.. The only thing wrong with it is how few pieces of chicken there were (pretty much the same amount you get at most places).] * ALOO KEEMA - $6.95 - [4.5/5 - Very good, smelled great, tasted yum.] * DAAL MASALA - $5.50 - [5/5 - I LOVE DAAL. And this is some GREAT yellow daal.] * CHUTNEY - $0 - [5/5 - Okay, yeah, chutney's free. However, since I always NEED chutney with my Indian food, I have to mention - their chutney was YUM!] I like to stick to the safe things when I'm trying out a place I'm hesitant about.. Next time, I'm trying the Brain Masala and the Tandoori Chop. P.S. I still think of you with deep affection.. and await our next encounter with a hunger you can't squelch. read more

I'm trying not to get Yelps in my eyes, and give this place 3 stars. It's the symptom of "this place is rated so highly, I must be missing something..." I had to shower when I got home, and frebreze my clothes. It was a smoke factory that permeated all my pores and clothes. The good news is that it seemed authentic to being in a third world country. Dirty, cheap, good. It was a half hour wait I looked around for the health code score, but it wasn't posted; never a good sign. Definitely cheap. Maybe $6/dish? But they were out of everything we wanted to order. Good? Ok, maybe. Really greasy. Everything was pretty standard issue. Maybe the meat dishes are fantastic, but none of the vegetarian stuff was extraordinary. Little Deli's right around the corner and super dynamite. Check that place out and smell less. read more

Care to have diarrhea? Then come to Shalimar, where they run out of your favorites so you're stuck ordering Indian pork chops that oddly resemble pig fetus, all while paying way too much for the portion size!! Shalimar--- when you're here, you're fucked. "Fist her? But she's my sister!!!" -Jake Gyllenhaal read more

Yes, shalimar is cheap OK Indian food, if you want a quick bite in between bars or just on your way somewhere this is the place, if you want an experience this is NOT the place. Good food. Dirty place. BYOB, great. Patio, good. Drunk people, OK i guess. read more

Some background: Lived in Delhi for 5 1/2 years; know my way around the galis of Nizamuddin, Old Delhi and Mehrauli. Consider myself a connoisseur of mughlai cuisine. Worked and travelled all over India (IMHO, the best non-veg curries are in Amritsar) and searched for the best street food wherever I travelled in the sub-continent. *** Summary: if you want to have fairly 'authentic' (for SF) mughlai food (including something of the dhaba experience to boot) then go to Shalimar. Reviewers: most goras are clueless. If you wrote "I had the CTM..." Hey, you just outed yourself whitebread. :-) About the Oil-slick: get used to it. Authentic mughlai cuisine is all about that. Places that don't have it... I avoid them, they're compromising themselves for the weak of heart and stomach. Cleanliness: to John B R. "Indian pork chops" yeah right, in a halal muslim joint? Others--oh well there's always Chipotle. Anyways, man-up and grow a pair. The Food: I have low expectations when it comes to Indian fare here. So I was pleasantly surprised by Shalimar. They serve nihari and other more obscure (at least in Americastan) Mughlai khanna. We ordered the Saag Gosht, Nihari, Chawal, Dal, Naan and I made a special request for Tandoori Roti. The nihari was fairly close to the versions I've had in Delhi, though doesn't hold a candle to Haji Noora's: http://eoid.org/2006/11/06/haji-noora-ki-nihari/ The beef was very soft--of the correct consistency--showing that it was stewed for a very long time under low heat, as it should be. I had to ask the guys for the requisite garnish of chopped chilies and lemon wedges, since they didn't serve them with the dish. And I had to go and ask for a plate of onions and jalepenos (something they give to their regular south asian customers automatically, it seems.). The saag gosht, daal and chawal met my expectations and were quite good. The naan was okay, not wonderful, but good. The big disappointment was the tandoori roti. This everyday staple was akin to a dry cracker; far worse than any you would get from even the most basic roadside dhaba. read more

People: I don't understand the hype and positive reviews this place gets? As warned by several others, Shalimar is a run-down, dirty, hole-in-the-wall joint in a bad neighborhood with horrendous parking.......and the non-existent ventilation there means you will fight to simply breathe, let alone avoid the permeating odors. I had the Goat Karahi for $10 and Chicken Tikka Masala for $8, neither of which was served with naan or rice or salad included (unlike many other Indian/Pakistani restaurants). Since the portions were not large, I don't think the prices are a great deal. As to the quality of the fare, if it were excellent, then I could forgive the rest of Shalimar's many deficiencies. Unfortunately, it was not memorable and only average at best. The chicken dish was particularly uninspiring, with its bland curry and dried-out white breast meat. Having traveled extensively through the Sub-Continent, I've experienced great South Asian cuisine. Trust me.......this is NOT the place. P.S. -- You can do much better at Pakwan (SF--16th St. location) with its fantastic Lamb Biryani. Or if in the East Bay, check out Viceroy Indian Cuisine in Berkeley, which has an exceptional all-inclusive lunch/dinner buffet for less than $10, starring a superb Chicken Tikka Masala dish. . read more

When Pakistanis go out to eat, they go for three things: chicken tikka, seekh kebabs, and naan. In Pakistan, the competition is way fierce as to who makes the best of each. Word of mouth spreads like wildfire, and can easily make or break any place. When Shalimar opened up in the 'Loin an eon and a half ago, it was way dingier than how it is now (if you can imagine that). My dad was the first to discover it walking through there (why my dad was walking through the Tenderloin around the early 90's is beyond me). But with the food and the Punjabi bantering amongst the owners and cooking staff, along with the feel of a local dhaba from the homeland, my dad was hooked and soon he'd drive the entire family almost an hour into the city just to eat at Shalimar. And they had it all. The naan, the chicken, the kebabs were all excellent. And they were all spicy - just the way we liked it. So what if there were a couple cockroaches on the wall. Who cared? It felt like the homeland, yo. That was then. A few years later, two upstarts called Pakwan and Taj Mahal joined in the fray, and soon the Tandoor-loin was in full effect, with each restaurant branching out into chains, each with its built-in fanbase. Pakwan may have won the battle in the Mission, but Shalimar has consistently held its own in the Tenderloin, regardless of the onslaught of Chutney, Naan N Curry, and countless other places. Each time I've gone in they've never disappointed. They don't skimp on their spices for anyone. You can either handle the heat or you can't. The Tenderloin institution definitely boosted Shalimar's name into the top echelon of Pakistani restaurants amongst the most loyal and hardcore community, Pakistanis themselves. Hence, when Shalimar opened its Fremont location, it immediately became a massive success and every other Pakistani restaurant saw its sales plummet. Pakwan opened up in Fremont soon after in a red barn, but it stands empty. People only head there if Shalimar's too crowded. But all the success in Fremont can be pointed back to this humble Jones St. restaurant, for that's where its reputation started building long ago. I enjoy all the non-grilled salaans (saucy dishes) as well, but it's the kebabs, naan, and chicken which had me coming back time and time again. Excellent. Wish there was a place like Shalimar in Phoenix, but this just means I'll have to travel back home a little more often... read more

RATS DOING LAPS IN THE MASALA!!!!! can't substantiate the claim. however, my friend told me that her friends share the back of their apt with shalimar, and said there was a rat doin' laps in the masala sauce one day! funny but albeit disturbing. can't substantiate it. she told me this after I was completely craving Shalimar, so with this unfortunate story-it dissuaded me. I so confused. I love shalimar! but I guess you have to see the rat doin' laps in the masala before you make a move. read more

If a gourmet dinner at the finest of Western restaurants is like a romantic kiss with the person you love, a meal at Shalimar is a no-holds-barred orgy with a bunch of pornstars. Issues with griminess and seediness are all part of the Dionysian experience. There are two very different ways that human endeavors can approach perfection. One is classical moderation - finding just the right harmony between just the right things, putting every element in the best possible place and in the best proportions. The other is just welcoming AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE of EVERYTHING that's remotely good. You take some of this and some of that... and then more of this and more of that. Shalimar is more in line with the latter school. That's what this cuisine is all about. It was invented when someone first said, "Hey, let's cook something in ghee AND oil AND butter AND cream, and we'll flavor it with onions AND garlic AND chillies AND cilantro!" The ambiance is just being consistent with their approach to aesthetics. The whole point is to feel like the animal that you are. The wild orgy of your dreams has to be in a sleazy motel, not a church. When you ask Shalimar to clean its bathrooms, you are asking Jackson Pollock to work on his shading. You're asking punk rock to tune its strings. You want Mozart? Go to Chez Panisse or the French Laundry. I'll be busy choking on seekh kabobs. read more

I used to ditch class regularly in college for Shalimar. This was mostly because we would run down there for lunch and then be unable to function in any afternoon classes, laid waste by the delicious food coma of spicy thick murgh masala, boti kebab, and garlic naan. It really used to be a special place, busting out all ethnic and pakistani when everyone else was doing the more royal indian vibe, and furthermore it was foiling the degradation of its surroundings with the shock value of quality. But it's gone a bit downhill of late, and I'm informed by a source close to the community (I got friends, okay?) that the owner isn't around anymore and doesn't really care as much about the quality. This is probably because he has a neverending queue of wealthy white hipsters lined up to give him money, and he lives in some gated community in Fremont taking baths in dollar bills. Ain't nothing wrong with that; I am all about separating rich white kids from their money at every opportunity. But if I'm going to give any purveyor of delicious tandoori my money, it's going to be my badass friend Paracha over at Tasty Curry. read more

Shalimar is the jam. Try the chicken tikka masala and the garlic naan, and bring your own beer. I docked them one star because the masalas tend to be a bit more greasy than I like -- but that's just my personal preference. One piece of advice: This place has a distinct campfire+food scent that will definitely stick to you. Don't wear your bedazzled jean shorts here if you don't want them to smell like delicious Indian / Pakistani food for a while. read more

Does Shalimar need another review? No. Does Shalimar need a review from me? Hardly. But it is going to get a review from me because I love this place. First off, I love the ambiance. Not "the place is impeccably clean and the wait service is natty good" ambiance, because that is on some other planet as compared to here. This is the "flickering fluorescent bulbs, dusty and nasty vent fans and scavenge and knee-cap for a table ambiance." And it's worth the potential assault charge to eat here. I have taken many an out of town guest here when they say they want to eat local. (Really? Call and raise.) However, I have yet to get a complaint once I work past their suburban fears of the neighborhood and concern for board of health details. They relax once I shank someone for a table. They start to smile when they realize the guy behind the counter takes your order, gets it right, remembers who you are and the food is magically delivered to your table by a friendly dude who doesn't speak English, but is helpful nonetheless. They outright giggle as they open the fo'tys we picked up at the corner liquor store just north of the place (so we may have cheap booze while we dine; remember, ambiance?). They shut up and narf once the food arrives. They won't shut up as we leave. All they do is profusely thank me for a wonderful experience, interesting "casual atmosphere" and fantastic food (including the Lamb Kofta) for cheap! I'll give them the final star if they clean the dust off the afore mentioned fan and replace the flickering fluorescent bulb, but I am still afraid the place may lose some soul in doing so. Maybe 4.5 stars are warranted... read more

This place is outrageous! It is filthy - it has not been cleaned since they opened! Careful on your way to the register where you will order as the floor is both slick and sticky. And, when you leave you'll need a shower as you will smell like curry. Yet, it might be the best indian/pakistani food I have ever had! Anything you try will be wonderful, but for $3 the 1000 degree tandoori made chicken is my favorite, spiced and flavored right thru! Don't forget to give a little to the needy on the way out! read more

Trekking through the concrete jungle called the Tenderloin there is a hidden treasure lurking beneath the vomit, crackheads, drug deals and lost souls....it is a place called Shamilar, and it will fill you full of warm curries and hot, fresh naan breads. Beware the crazy lady posted out front and at all costs, do not enter the bathroom. Make a point of relieving yourself BEFORE setting upon your journey and you will be rewarded with culinary delights of the finest order. read more

After fasting all day for an afternoon appointment to get some blood drawn, I desperately wanted some food that was fairly fast, cheap and filling. I'm not typically a fast food kind of girl, so I popped into Shalimar to see what I could get. There was a guy behind the counter who, focused on pressing some naan dough into place, barely acknowledged me, but oh well. I wasn't there to make new friends. I ordered the Lamb & spinach with a side of their freshly baked naan, which was the best part. The lamb & spinach was just ok. I managed to scarf it down even though I was surrounded by uncleared tables full of dirty dishes. I was alive again! Still a little spacy, but alive! Now for the important part: As a lot of people do that are dining alone, I was looking at my iphone since I did not want to sit, staring into space. In the entire restaurant on this particular afternoon at about 3 pm, there were 5 people in the restaurant. Me, a guy in front of me, two guys behind my table, and the guy behind the counter. The guy in front of me finished at about the same time I did. I paid, left, headed out to tackle the next thing on my to-do list and realized I left my phone on the table! I rushed back and saw that my table had not yet been cleared, but my phone was gone. There were still the same remaining 3 guys in the restaurant. I asked the two at the table, "Did you see a phone on this table?" "No, ask that guy.", one of them replied, pointing to the guy behind the counter. I asked him. He looked right at me, wide-eyed and said "A phone? No, no phone!" I set my bag down and said, "Alright, I KNOW I left it right here, so either YOU have it, or one of YOU have it." It was clear I was not leaving until I got my phone back. The guy behind the counter says, "Oh, do you mean an iPhone? Well, yes, I found an iPhone on that table. Was that yours? Just one moment. " He knew it was mine. He goes to get it out of his bag. Within just a few minutes, he had scooped it up, turned it off and put it in his bag. Turning it off keeps the tracking from working so I would not be able to find it had I not returned immediately. What remains of the idealistic, small town girl in me would love to think that he had turned it off to conserve battery power, and that he stashed it away safely with the intent of tracking me down and getting it back to me, but well...YOU decide. read more

There should be two categories - food and ambiance! Food gets 5 stars. Wow, this food is good...finger licking good! Best Indian food, by far, in the city. Prices can't be beat either... Ambiance: I haven't been for awhile - not that it makes a difference - but waiting 15 minutes out front while friends arrived certainly provided many unwanted visuals. Sorta curbs your appetite... Advice - get in the door ASAP. ...better yet - order ahead with food to go! read more

My husband called it a religious experience. The naan is fresh and superb. Actually I almost don't want to review this place because it will become too popular... I digress. Try everything on the menu. Try the chai. Be nice to the people who work there and they will be nice to you. read more

No frills, hole-in-the-wall Indian/Pakistani food. I got mango lassi, garlic naan, and bhuna gosht, a dish that consists of lamb, cooked with butter, garlic, ginger, and onions. The naan was probably the best naan I've had - perfectly warm and fluffy, great for dipping. The bhuna gosht was deliciously tangy and had a kick to it (although a bit greasy). As for the mango lassi, it was DELICIOUS. The restaurant is located on the outskirts of Tenderloin and is a bit dumpy inside. The ordering process is a bit strange - you go up to them to order your food, seat yourself and wait for the food to come, and pay afterwards up at the kitchen. My friend noted that dining and dashing would be wayyy too easy (disclaimer: not condoning that at all). Was it the best Indian/Pakistani dining experience I've ever had? No, but it was great considering the price. The restaurant is definitely very popular - it was packed when we went. Try it out! read more

Read everyone else's reviews about Shalimar's fantastic and inexpensive food, BYOB awesomeness, complimentary chai and cool newspaper menus. I couldn't agree more. What I love about this place is that if you walk into their restaurant with your dog in tow they will promptly tell you to beat feet. One of the last few times I was here some a-hole comes strolling through the dining area with his mutt wagging its tail about 18 inches from people's food; he was cut off before he could reach the counter and told to kick rocks by one of the employees in about 0.6 seconds. I almost stood up and started a slow-building round of applause like in the climactic scene of a feelgood coming-of-age movie. I am unquestionably a dog person, but I find this revolting--why do people think it's OK to do that? If I wanted fleas in my food I'd have your mom do my cooking without her hairnet. Exceptions: Blind people with seeing eye dogs, but if you're blind you definitely are not reading this so, really, NO EXCEPTIONS. read more

"A pot. A pot belly. Pot bellies are sexy" says Fabienne from Pulp Fiction. --- Oooo, methinks I can become sexy by making more trips to Shalimar! --- "No. Pot bellies make a man look either oafish, or like a gorilla," replies Fabienne. --- D'oh, says I. --- Whatever the case, I made it down to the Tenderloin again and had to continue my quest for curry. The first object of my desire was Lahore Karahi (http://www.yelp.com/biz/lahore-karahi-san-francisco#hrid:Uo6Df7_UewhaxQvRbpM6aw), which knocked my socks off. So the standards were high, but I heard good things about Shalimar. It was on. I happened to be here between lunch and dinner, so it wasn't too packed (I was almost worried it would be closed and called beforehand, but they were good to go). So their menus are basically little Indian cuisine newspapers, with their tasty food the story of the day. I went with my standard: chicken tikka masala, garlic naan, and mango lassi. MC Shalimar was throwin down the mad beats & representin'. The masala was bangin'. I found myself hovering over it like a naan-armed custodian. I was using my naan to clean up every speck of masala on my plate. The mango lassi also went down pretty tastily. So yeah, between Lahore & Shalimar it's certainly a tough battle. I'd personally give the edge to Lahore Karah only because I declared their naan fit for sainthood all by themselves. But yeah, Shalimar is also good all unto itself. read more

Great food The nihari and chicken kofta are killer But they really need to work on their decor and the tables and chairs feel like they are from the last century. I am a big fan but will probably do take out instead of eat in read more

Everytime I come here I feel like I'm eating in some dirty cafeteria in some run down federal building with crappy lighting but the food makes it oh so worth it and I keep coming back. I always end up just ordering the Tikka Masala with Naan. If you are used to Naan N Curry this version's sauce is more of a red color and is not nearly as thick but has much better flavor. I'm going to just take a guess here and say its probably better for you too since it doesn't seem to have as much cream as Nann n' Curry either. Honestly, until Amber opens up on Market street there really isn't very good Indian food in SF. Go to Sunnyvale or Fremont in the south bay and you'll see what I mean. Unless I feel like driving for an hour though this hits the spot and the one on Polk is within walking distance. Bonus. read more

This is the place for authentic indian and pakistani food, featuring delectable Tandoori charcoal barbeque, traditional curries, the most amazing garlic naan, specials such as brain masala, (lamb brain cooked with butter, onion, tomatoes, and spices) goat karahi ("khyber pass region delicacy where no feast is complete without this dish" featuring diced goat cooked with northern spices, herbs, and tomatoes), and Bhuna gosht "relished by punjabi stalwart soldiers" (grass fed lamb, cooked with butter with a hint of garlic and Ginger over a bed of onions, brought to simmer in Pakistani spices.) Help yourself to the vat of chai, and polish off your meal with a bowl of kheer. Three people can happily eat here for under $40. Average price of a dish is $6.95. Don't let looks deceive you, as this is as "hole in the wall" as it gets. Decor and cleanliness are at the bare minimum, the bathroom is frightening, but I will fly to San Francisco just to eat here. read more

The prices are very reasonable and the naan is very good. I came here yesterday with two friends, and we paid a total of $24, not including tip (more on that later). The curries are very flavorful. We ordered chicken tikka masala, daal masala, and the buhna gosht. The most notable was the bhuna gosht, which had lamb cooked in all kinds of spices (I pulled out a few cloves from my curry). The lamb tasted quite a bit like beef, to be honest, so I loved it, but I couldn't really taste the lamb. My favorite part of the meal was dipping the naan into the curries. Their naan tastes unsalted and was very fluffy and delicious on its own, even without the curries. I would give this place four stars for just the food, but I'm taking away one star because of the service. We threw down $30 for our $24 meal and asked for change, so we could leave a tip (I thought a 25% tip was pretty hefty for a place where you order at the counter). The guy looked at us funny when we asked for change, and then gave us back a 5 and a 1. Clearly he was hoping for the 5 back. I almost didn't give it to him and wanted to leave the $1 on the dish, but I was in the company of good friends and didn't want to make a scene, so I just took the $1 and left the $5. In my opinion, people who work in the service industry should know to leave behind lots of $1 bills for change, so they can be assured of having a good tip, as opposed to none, which I've done to some bartenders who decided to give me big bills back. Other than the awkwardness come tip time, I had a positive experience and would come back. Don't wear anything you care about here, because it will all come out smelling like food (well, maybe you're into that sort of thing). read more

This place is small and dirty, so what? Hands down they have the BEST, and most authentic Indian food you can find in San Francisco. This is definitely a no-bullshit place. Their curries and Naan's are spectacular. The lamb curry and chickpea curry are perfect to pair with the naan and their Indian rice is also one of my favorites. You can fill your cup with Indian milk tea as many times as you wish. I've been eating here with my family for so many years, and we've found that this place tastes the best in spices, flavors, and authenticity. I will be coming again and again to this place. Highly recommend! read more