Been a few times. Always tasty. Today got the Goat Karahi- solid. Also Chicken Tikka Masala- not a fan. More tomato and tangy vs buttery and smooth. read more

The smokey tandoor is the first thing that hits you when you walk in; pretty much every regular you'll see is eating some sort of meat coming from it. Very reasonably priced for San Francisco, considering how tasty the food is. This place definitely owns its diveyness, in a good way. Seekh Kabab Mughlai: Very nicely spiced. Long and thin, to maximize the surface area in the tandoor. I initially thought the free cilantro yogurt chutney would be a good pairing, but so much flavor was going on in this kabab that I didn't need it. Especially reasonably priced given the size and quality. Chicken Tikka Masala: I feel like CTM is to Indian/Pakistani restaurants as the PSL is to Starbucks. It's a comfort order that is very basic, but still tasty enough to cause people to own their basicness. The chicken cubes seemed cooked in the tandoor, so I was generally sticking with their strong suit. It looked like about one skewer of boneless chicken swimming in a plate of creamy tomato sauce. The sauce paired great with the naan, giving you a lot of flavor to soak up. I especially appreciated how it was mildly creamy but not overboard to make you feel icky. Garlic Naan: Large and thick and fluffy. One side was brown and toasted and the other side was whiter and more doughy. Might had been a few seconds too long in the tandoor, but was still fine. The garlic was kinda raw and in the middle of the bread. Very generous serving and a lot more exciting than rice. read more

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Very good food! Super bare bones type of place that got pretty busy after 8pm. Most dishes were reasonably around $10. There were quite a few items they didn't have (Vindaloo, samosas, pakora, fish/shrimp dishes, etc) but we were still able to get a decent variety of proteins, including goat, lamb, chicken, and beef. I'm surprised there are so many Pakistani places within a few feet of this place, so they all have to compete with each other. I would return here again though. read more

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Not pretty but great food. Takes card. Reasonably quick service. If you want something to drink you'll need to ask. The aloo paratha stole the show, a fantastic naan filled with spicy potatoes- just perfect. Also had the goat Karahi and the meat was so moist and full of flavor. The paneer masala was very good too. This place is definitely worth a visit! Has a bathroom and an awesome vibe read more

Easily the best Pakistani food I've had in the bay. Destroys on kebabs and flavor. I ate so much and yet I want to go back and try everything else off the menu. This is a read more

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Our theme this time is Indian and this place fits that bill. Everything here is made fresh. You can also see them cook in the open kitchen. The curries here has a nice blend of spice in them and it's not too spicy. I would recommend number 17 a classic chicken curry and a side of rice of course. Let's try something new about my reviews. I'm going to add my friends rating and comments from now on. Josh (8/10) - inexpensive, good, and big portions. Cons hard to find parking and didn't have beef kababs Jordan (8/10) - there was bones in my chicken Joshua (8.5/10) - a little too spicy but good for me read more

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This used to be my favorite go-to Indian spot in the city but I haven't been there in a couple of years until today. They are now the worst Indian food I've ever had! No flavor, greasy, unappealing. The naan tastes like day old grocery store pita bread. No char, no smokiness on anything. We had to scoop out a half a cup of grease from the dishes before we could eat any of it. Disgusting! read more

Shalimar - The bowl in front is the grease we took out of the dishes before we could eat! - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

I was treated here by a friend and everything was really good. I had the chicken meatballs and garlic naan, the garlic naan was so good I next time I'm going to ask for extra garlic. The place is small, lots of tables and chairs, seems like a lot of phone orders and pick up's but I like how the cooks are right there making fresh foods. The place is located in the tenderloin so if you know you know but without any bias you would definitely enjoy this place. There is street parking but make sure to pay the meter. The wait time was not long at all about 10-15 mins. read more

Great food quality! I came with friends and now it's a regular Pakistani stop in city for me. Last time we get the chicken tika masala and Sag paneer, Sag gosht, seekh kabob, rice and garlic naan. It was excellent. The ambiance is not great. This is a casual dive place. If you are a foodie you will love Shalimar. The prices are very reasonable compared to the peninsula. Tons of Indian and Pakistani restaurant in the neighborhood but these guys are very consistent in quality. Watch out for street parking as you do not want to leave anything valuable in your car in this neighborhood. Oh there is a garage across the street it is always empty but they are expensive with a flat rate of 15 to 20 dollars. read more

Their curries are amazing! I tried the chicken tikkah masala and kofta and they both were really good. Also tried their aloo bread which was super interesting and very yummy as well! read more

People looking for service and ambience, turn around and get a take out. Food is decent and I have it atleast once a month. That's all.

Been going to eat at Shalimar for 25 years now . Haven't gotten the food that they serve anywhere else . Amazing food . The ambience is almost non existent but no one goes to Shalimar for the ambience . read more

I got the chicken karahi, Bhuna Ghost with onion kulcha. Chicken tasted very bland and it was still a a little red inside so wasn't cooked all the way through. In the bhuna ghosht the lamb wasn't tender enough. Overall, both dishes lacked flavor and spice. Pros: onion kulcha, cheap Cons: undercooked meat, no flavor, no spice read more

Was always my go to for Indian/Pakistani food but lately it's not the same anymore I think. read more

Shalimar - The basmati rice is not the same as before - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

This is one of those places where the reputation precedes the actual experience. It wasn't like this before. It used to be the place you took adventurous diners for some real grub and leave with a good time and even better memories. But now, once the novelty of it wears off, you find there's a lot to be desired. It's become a shadow of it's former self and the pandemic probably opened a lot of eyes to how..."authentic" this place feels. The overwhelming scent of curries and tandoori meats used to be so intense and seep so deeply into your clothes that bartenders would know where dinner before arriving at their bar. You still get that here but things have just been taken down a notch and it's not bustling with Indian families and large boisterous groups like it used to. It's one of those places you minimize the touching of anything you don't need to, which probably freaked a lot of people out even more after a 2 year pandemic. Getting a tikka lahori served almost NY hot dog style, wrapped in foil on a paper tray, provided much needed levity deep into the pandemic days where it lived perfectly up to your expectation of the good 'ol days. But now, everything is short of greatness, even mango lassi is just a blend of mango flavor and milk. It's missing that yogurt tang, the hint of salinity the mango tart+sweet. The chicken here also got strangely dry despite being juicy, both in curries or tandoori. It's not the flavorful tender meat you'd expect of masterful cooking, more like cooked, frozen and reheated kind of texture from microwave meals. It is fresh (since you can watch your chicken go into the tandoor) and tender and juicy still but somehow there's a dryness now like it was frozen prior and it looks even more anemic than before. Not sure what happened here but this place no longer holds a sweet spot in my stomach for Indian/Pakistani food any longer. On the plus side, chai is still free flowing and it does still hit a spot if you're really craving this food. But you can also rest easy since there are better Indian places without having to deal with the parking nightmare and grimy streets of the TL. read more

Used to be my first recommendation for authentic Pakistani food in the Bay Area. Now, won't even dare recommend. You never went to Shalimar for the ambience - only the food. Now, there's no reason to at all. read more

I heard a lot of good things about Shalimar over the years so I decided to try it out this evening. Probably the worst Indian food ever! The food is greasy and gross. They use too much oil. read more

Tucked in a little corner of the Tenderloin, Shalimar looks like a throwback to a time gone by: an old, plainly appointed food joint, where customers order at the counter. Behind that counter, cooks prepare delicious Pakistani and North Indian Cuisine in large vats, traditional ovens, and on open flame grills. A no frills restaurant, where some of the very best Indian food can be had, for very reasonable prices. My Partner and I have been enthusiasts of Indian food for many years. We both agree, there isn't a better Indian (or Pakistani) spot in San Francisco. Spicy, savory, delectable cuisine. An easy five stars! read more

I love Shalimar. The lamb curry, mango lassi, and garlic naan were amazing. It tastes as good as I remembered it 19 years ago! Ambience hasn't changed, but it's a no frills restaurant. Delicious food and good service. read more

I gave this restaurant 4 stars because the food was oily. Because the listing was unclaimed, i did not know if i could trust the restaurant. I will say, the food was delicious and on the oily side. read more

Shalimar - Paneer tika. The garlic naan is from Trader Joe's - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

My friends and I ended up trying a bunch of the various curries here. The location is a bit hole-in-the-wall and the place didn't feel like the cleanest or nicest place I've been to for Indian, but the food was pretty good. We tried the Brains Masala, which had an interesting texture, but I didn't really enjoy the taste or how it was made. The other curries were pretty strongly flavored and good at parts, but not the most enjoyable I have had. The garlic naan is quite excellent though, it has a ton of garlic and you can taste the garlic pieces baked into the naan. It has the same effect with the onions naan as well, but I didn't enjoy that one nearly as much. read more

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"A hole in the wall" - This is the textbook example of it. It's not fancy, located in the shady part of San Francisco, and I wonder how hygienic everything is. But if you are adventurous enough to try it, you will be rewarded with some authentic Indo-Pak tastes. read more

No, thank you. you can have it, it's all yours. (my very first 1 star review) the owner of this place should make a trip to DC and visit "Ravi Kabob" and "Kabob Palace" (Both in Arlington, VA) to learn how to make good Naan Bread & Karahi. read more

Shalimar - Both Goat Karahi and Gulab Jamun were the worst I've had anywhere. and the Naan too!, lack of chewiness. - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Great place. Food is delicious. Very cheap too. The tandoori was the highlight for me. Highly recommend. read more

Shalimar - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I've been eying this spot for a while. Since I didn't want to deal with the location, I opted for delivery via Caviar to give this place a try. I had high hopes that were crushed at first bite. The Tandoor was what I was most excited for and it was so charred and dry that not much was edible in the Murgh Tikka Lahori breast. I love a good char, but this was too much. The Chicken Tikka Masala was an oil pit with not much flavor and about four small cubes of swimming chicken. The Raita was great and helped the masala and tandoor chicken when mixed with the rice. The Shalimar Chawal (fragrant rice) sounded promising and smelled incredible, but was watery. Kinda reminded me of instant rice that had too much water with added spices. The garlic naan was the star. Huge and tasty with one side kinda crunchy and the other soft with a good amount of garlic inside. Glad I didn't venture to the restaurant to be this disappointed. It will no longer be starred as a saved restaurant in my food delivery apps :( read more

The chicken tikka malsala was super bland, the ginger chicken was just okay and had a lot of bones in it. And both the dishes were EXTREMELY greasy. read more

Shalimar - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

Honestly, compared to most Indian places this place was very average. This might be because I am myself Indian, and this place is certainly not "authentic." Overall things were less flavorful and made oddly. For example; For example, the vegetable manchurian was really over-filled with sauce and had barely any actual manchurian pieces in it. The paneer tikka was really dry, and not all that flavorful. The paneer tikka masala was pretty good, but the texture of the gravy was a bit grainy which I haven't noticed at many other places. The channa masala chaat was pretty good. The naan pieces however, were way too dry, which is what I think made the restaurant worse than it could have been. read more

Ew, nooo, find somewhere else to eat! Lol. Even though the food was cheap, it's cheap because it's bad. We had the spinach and cheese dinner (aloo something). It was flavorless and the naan bread was dry and hard. Oh, the rice wasn't bad I guess. Anyway, the restaurant is in one of the many very sketchy parts of downtown. It looks like it has never seen a bottle of Windex and trust me it needs a good power wash. I dunno. You may love it. We didn't. read more

Shalimar - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place was recommended by one of my Pakistani neighbors in San Jose. My family and I decided to check this place out when in SF one day. I usually don't let sketchy neighborhoods get in the way of trying out food establishments although my wife was kinda grossed out by all the chicken gizzards n such hanging outside the trash can that was right outside the door. We went for the chicken tikka masala, dahl and naan. The silverware still had grit on it. The chicken was bland, the dahl was nothing special at all. The naan was the only good thing here. Right from the beginning the workers looked at us weird constantly so after a few bites my wife left, with an uneasy feeling that something gross would be done to our food. I stayed, finished my food and left feeling a little grossed out. The old SF Naan n Curry will always be my favorite. read more

Dang! Shalimar...a go-to for over two decades, but the food is just so, so greasy, I think it's gotten worse. Between the spicy notes and grease, honestly, it's pretty underwhelming as the healthy ingredients get drowned out. read more

Great place for tasty and fresh Indian food. Had my fav naan, chicken leg grilled perfectly, potatoes and spinach saag. Kids had mutton chops and rice with chicken curry. Amazing, must try read more

When my friend Harry said we were going to authentic Pakistan cuisine I couldn't wait! And since Harry is from Pakistan I was doubly excited to try something that a local would recommend. My favorite dish is saag so I'm always looking for the perfect spices and spinach ratio. I also love mango lassi and both didn't disappoint. We also ordered their chicken and onion dish, naan and yogurt dip. Forgive me if I can't name everything, I took a picture of the menu for reference then accidentally deleted it. The chicken was tender and all white meat with some spices. Think grilled white meat chicken with grilled onions. I loved everything we had, including the free hot chai tea. If it wasn't in such a sketchy neighborhood with limited parking I'd be here more often. Mad props for authentic reasonably priced food! read more

Shalimar - Their saag and their mango lassi rocks! - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

BEFORE you go to Shalimar, here are some things you should know: *It's Dirty. *It's Divey. *Tables are sticky and chairs are wobbly. *Mismatched dishware and bent silverware. *Sloppy drunktards everywhere. *You will get solicited by crazies in invisible stray jackets, junkies, and sheMANs. *You will leave smelling like ass...FOR DAYS. Turned-off? GOOD. Please stay away from Shalimar so I can have the Lamb Brain Masala ALL to my gluttonous, fat f*ck self. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/0OUFGCqvp84JMJH7pnFHgw?select=nUuPnJmgpFOPtWSwr_Ih-w If pate and butter chicken (sauce) had a love child, the lamb brain masala would be it. Ridiculously good, the lamb brain's rich velvety texture melted in my mouth like a triple cream butter while the masala set off a trifecta of fireworks with intense bursts of spice, heat, and pure deliciousness. Like Indian crack, the lamb brain masala was so BOMBTASTIC that I envisioned knocking out all the mofos with me just so I can have the whole plate to myself. *Muahaaahaaaa* Did I mention that one 3oz. serving of lamb brain has 2128 mg of cholesterol (709% of your % daily value)? Yup, stay away. FAR, FAR AWAY. OTHER NOTES: *Authentic Indian/Pakistani food full of robust flavors. *CHEAP EATS: most dishes are $6.95 and nothing is over $10.95. *Order the Goat Karahi and Nihari (Braised Beef Shank) which are just as good; don't order the dry Murgh Boti Tandoori (Chicken Tandoori). *Order multiple orders of the Garlic Naan to mop up all the delicious sauces and curries. *Many customers are native ones so you know it's legit. *No alcohol sold on premises but we brought our own beers. *CASH ONLY. read more

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Nasty!!! This place is nasty. Don't come here if you don't like the smell of curry, sticky tables, long wait, crowded, unorganized, homeless sleeping outside, people shoving, dog or human feces on the sidewalk or the Tenderloin. Yeah, stay away from here at all cost. It's nasty. Then again, there's Nasty and then there's Nasteee! This one's the latter. My first visit here I was confronted with all of the above and almost went ballistic at the crowd, and some who attempted to cut in line. I was appalled at the lack of organization and it was a free-for-all attitude. But when in Rome, do as the Romans do. You have to quickly adapt to the situation in order to survive. It's fight or flight and I choose to fight. I quickly figured out that I had to be aggressive in getting the menu and placing the orders. Once I got the hang of it, I couldn't care less about the rest of the people and let my killer instinct set it. I scanned the room and quickly grabbed a table. You can't be Mr. Nice Guy here. Nice guys finish last. Do you want to know if a place is good, just scan the crowd as it was mostly locals with brave souls and native Pakistani and Indians that pack up this joint. Don't expect good service, don't expect anyone to greet and seat you, but do expect great, authentic food at very reasonable prices. I love lamb, and this place is lamb heaven. They make it in different ways, but the grilled Lamb Chops are out of this world superb and cooked to perfection. I would suggest that you devour these right away while they are still warm to enjoy the texture and flavors that oozes out from first bite. You also get different textures in one bite from the soft, medium rare in the center to the crispy, charred state that forms around the exterior. If you're the adventurous type, they also have Lamb Brains. Yeah...this one's nastee. One bite and your calories will quadruple and might require a bypass surgery. It's creamy, delicious goodness that you can slather on a Garlic Naan (more on that later) or mixed with Basmati Rice. The Chicken Kabob and Grilled Chicken are also fantastic. Both packed with wonderful flavors and aroma that is making the homeless person sleeping outside salivate in his dreams. Yeah, I'm cruel...but you have to be in order to get what you want. And I want this food in my belly and you better get out of my way when I'm hungry. And to go back on the Garlic Naan, there are Garlic Naans and there's Shalimar's GARLIC Naan. There's tons of garlic in here that could scare away Edward and all those Twilight groupies that could last for a week. You get a big chunk of garlic on every bite and oh it's nastee good. Yeah...this is a NASTEE place. read more

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Are you ready for a flavor explosion in your mouth? The fragrant and exotic smells of Shalimar will make your mouth water for the deliciousness that is to come. You won't find reheated dishes in the microwave here and the Tandoori chicken is served fresh off the grill. Go LUNGE for a table as soon as you see it being vacated or your wait could stretch out longer than 20 minutes. Order and pay at the counter, grab your utensils/plates/water and wait for your meal to be delivered to your table. We all LOVED the moderately spicy Daal Masala. While considered a poor man's food, here it's made rich with a variety of lentils and cooked with cumin and coriander. Just perfect. Their chai is served piping hot and I absolutely love that it comes unsweetened! The Palak Paneer is some kind of special too. With a slightly golden paneer and soft spinach cooked in exotic spices, mop this one up with a big piece of Garlic Naan. Speaking of which is deliciously stuffed with garlic bits enough to drive the boyfriend away ;-) I wasn't impressed with the Chicken Tikka. Like Merica, I found it to be a bit greasy and the chicken was kinda dry. I prefer the creamier/tangier version which I found to be prepared much better at other places. Nevertheless, the incredibly affordable prices and generous servings will keep me coming back for more. Plus, the sticky tables, divey atmosphere and pungent smell stuck to my coat (hello drycleaning!) is a foodie adventure I can't wait to experience again. read more

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The other day I was chatting with my neighbor and he asked me what I'd done the night before. I told him that I'd gone out with some friends from Germany and that I'd taken them to this hole-in-the-wall Pakistani restaurant in the Tenderloin. His response was: "Oh, did you go to Shalimar?" I quite enjoyed my visit here: the big open kitchen where you can see how your food is prepared; the total unpretentiousness of this place; in fact, the grittiness was what I liked most. One of my friends was vegetarian and so we ordered a selection of vegetation dishes to share: everyone of them was good and we "licked" the plates clean with plenty of naan and paratha. read more

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Grungy feel to this divey restaurant that serves up impressive, flavorful spiced up curry! I love their Shalimar rice and use the curry from any of the dishes that you pick from here (rest assured, their curry dishes do not disappoint), and it will be superbly delicious. Garlic naan is of the essence as dipping for the curry. Their gamey goat karahi was rich with spices and kicks in with a tad bit of spiciness. I adored it and cleaned every drip of sauce there was on the plate. They offer butter chicken curry and lamb as other ogling options. Cash only spot. read more

Shalimar - Shalimar Rice - Pakistani Near Me - San Francisco, California

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It is 4:36 am 9 hours from my dinner at Shalimar. I don't know if it is the spices from the food dancing in my stomach or the mixed emotions / reactions from our dinning party. Last night, we drove into San Francisco looking for another dinning experience. An old friend of ours was excited to introduce us to an Indian restaurant, he warned us that it was not fancy but the food was fantastic. Be prepared for the "total immersion" program. This restaurant is the "hole" of the Hole in Wall place. You get the whole experience of the Calcutta / Bombay by way of New York City Indian restaurant. It starts from the time you park your car with all the street urchins and panhandlers offering to take care of your car, to them escorting you to the door of the restaurant. Luckily, we got a table by the window so we could see them make faces and ultimately given a dollar for their troubles. The restaurant transforms you to a place in India, except for the crowd. There were girls in beachwear, Indian families with crying kids, tourists reading their Zagot guides, techies with their Google glasses and Indian Cabbies. We were 4 deep at the counter waiting to order. The menu is a large paper / newspaper / place mat. The items were so inexpensive, IE. tandoori items for $2., curries $7. After you order you sit down and clean your table. The floor has reminisces of the previous dinners meals. You get all you can eat marinated onions, jalapenos and Chai Tea. Paper cups, mismatched plastic plates and prison silverware are the table settings. A couple of flies buzzing your food is always a treat. The food tasted good and had lots of spices. The cuts of meat are a mystery though. We had some weird cuts of Chicken in our curries that I have never seen before. The Lamb chops were as tough as any wildebeest I have ever had. None the less there were lines out the door. The food is greasy but that is what the Naan bread is for to soak up all that sauce and flavor. If you chose to dine here you need to come here with an open mind. Remember this is Mumbai without the 18 hour plane ride. Imagine you are spending Rupees instead of Dollars. And when you, leave your stomach will feel the same as if you were on tour of the Taj Mahal. Good: Prices Authentic Indian Flavor Chai Tea "The Experience" Bad: Cuts of meat Location Cash Only Ugly: Parking Lack of Police Escort Rest Room Floor Tables Chairs Hey this place is not for most Westerners but they have Zagot stickers every where. read more

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I generally make a point not to reference other reviews, but I would like to direct you to this passage from the great Don B, who hails from Portland, OR: "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?!'" That is the man who took me to Shalimar. And when I say he took me to Shalimar, I mean he essentially carried me there after six too many cocktails at Rye, ordered for the two of us and stuck me with the bill, which I only know because I woke up with a Shalimar receipt in my pocket, and the aforementioned Tandoori chicken smell. And as my memory slowly returns to me, the one thing I know is that I shouldn't be complaining, because this filthy little Pakistani spot slings some seriously delicious food. I'd eat here anytime. read more

Sure, the formica's greasy, and some of the dishes are chipped. Sure, you feel like you need to wear asbestos underwear to use their toilet. Oh yeah...and it is on a particularly seedy stretch of Jones in the Tenderloin that isn't spotlighted in any of the guidebooks. But, damn, the South Asian dishes are good here. Good in a no-nonsense way with some surprising twists. In fact, I actually think the food is even better here than at their slightly more civilized location at the edge of Polk Gulch. I came here in the middle of a work day because I was finishing my shift at a work-related conference around the corner at the Clift Hotel. I decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight and grab a late lunch at 3:30PM. As it turned out, nobody eats at Shalimar at 3:30PM, so I had my pick of the formica tables and rickety chairs. Even though I was seriously tempted by the Lamb Brain Masala (next time), I went for the more mainstream Tandoori Chops, four of them for $10.95, nicely marinated and accompanied by a few raw onion rings (see photo). Deliciously tender with a kick of masala spices and the bones quite gnaw-worthy. With them, I went for a $6.95 plate of the simply named Okra. The dish was described most accurately as "ladyfingers" since they leave them whole rather than chop them as most Indian places do. They're cooked with onions and a big fistful of Shalimar spices sweetened by just a hint of ginger (see photo). Although it was oilier than I was hoping, there was no denying it was delicious especially when mixed with a $2 plate of Shalimar Chawal, a house specialty of basmati rice cooked in a rich stock of savory spices, onions and saffron (see photo). Stuffed. But I needed all that food to energize myself for the aggressive jog down the Jones Street hill. And oh yes, the restroom wasn't that bad. FOOD - 4 stars...really good and unique Indian-Pakistani dishes served in a no-frills manner AMBIANCE - 1.5 stars...well.... SERVICE - 3.5 stars...pretty speedy and friendly when they're not busy TOTAL - 4 stars...go during the day if you can, take a little more risk in the evening read more

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