Out of all of my previous reviews, Shan's is the first review I've written about a place that I frequent. Today marked the first of six days I have off from work. A much needed vacation + it's been nearly a year since I've taken such time-off at such length. I had a few to-dos before deciding that I should make the most of such a beautiful day + truly take hold of not being at work. That said, I decided to grab a few beach/park essentials (blanket, water, book) + kick my shoes off on the city's lakefront. Something I usually daydream about doing while running about work. I was trying to decide what to take for an early dinner, on my trek to the lakefront. Since Shan's was en route, my decision was quickly made. Great service, very friendly + accomodating as I ordered their Chana Pulao, a basmati rice dish w/ whole chickpeas, diced tomato + various spice w/ freshly sliced lettuce/onions. I paired my order with a slice of fresh naan (some of the best in the city, I might add) + as though I hadn't had enough chickpeas, a package of candied chickpeas for an added $1. All in all, my order came in under $8. I took a seat nearby + watched a bit of AAJ TV, on their flat screen, amongst the predominately male customers. Within 10 minutes, my order was packaged + ready. After settling on a grassy knoll, near the lake, I pinched off pieces of naan + scooped the chana pulao ...It came with a separate small container of herbed yogurt sauce. I don't eat dairy but from friends who are fans of Shan's, it's quite tasty. I should have ordered two naan, since I finished my one slice halfway through my rice. Without any utensils + this being my main meal of the day, I decided to think quick + use the lid for the yogurt sauce as my spoon ...Which worked out perfectly + only attracted a few sideway glances from onlookers. Aside from their rice dishes, I strongly recommend their dal/lentil dishes ...All coming in at $4.99. The Chana Masala (chickpeas w/ ginger, garlic, onions) + Dal Chana (yellow splitpeas w/ spices) are other usual standbys. Their Aaloo Palak (spinach + potato w/ spices) is the best I've ever had + again the price ($4.99) is unbeatable. It's been a little over 5 hrs. since I ate my Shan's feast + I'm still pleasantly full ...That said, I did debate going back on my walk home. read more

I write this review from the throne....no, I'm serious....and it's all Shan Foods' fault. Though it's mortifying to write a review from the toilet, I think you need to know what I'm about to tell you. See, my husband and I love Indian food, and, maybe because we have spent a fair amount of time traveling, our standards for hygiene when it comes to places that make Indian food are . . . relaxed. In India, we eat deep fried delicacies of all sorts on the side of the road in Delhi, we buy corn roasted over an open fire from guys with visibly dirty hands in Shimla (their hands must be black from the fire, no?), and we drink tap water everywhere but in Varanasi (because, like, come on, eew). And most of the time we escape entirely unscathed. But today we are scathed, and we didn't even leave the neighborhood. Hubby dear took it upon himself to bring dinner home from Shan Foods last night. He ate a half a container of kaadi, some daal, and some raita, and I had two bites of daal under protest and only because he guilted me into it. Now we are teammates in a frantic effort to rid all remnants of that dinner from our bodies and our home. It's not pretty. I hear the garbage disposal right now. I hope to gods he's getting rid of the rest of that bacteria-infested, Delhi-belly-causing tripe. read more

Horrible restaurant I Was Craving Some Good Indian Snack ...Totally DISAPPOINTED Ordered the samosa ....what a disgrace ...! ... flavorless samosa ....The stuffing was white ....no spices .....like they stuffed it with left over mashed potatoes ...so unappetising just the colour of the stuffing ....Just kept over the counter put in a microwave oven reheated and served... My friend ordered the dessert made with milk ....stale ...probably a week old .....frozen rock hard ... Stay away ....lots of better indian and Pakistan restuarents... The skinny guy at the counter was weird and unfriendly too... I'm indian ...iv eaten much better samosas....save yourself by not going to this restuarent When THE Food Itself s So Bad ..No Point talking about the ambience and service ....All just as bad The grocery store with all American brands ....poorly stocked grocery store .... read more

The Chicken Makhani is delicious! The chicken itself was super tender and the sauce was really flavorful with just the right amount of spice. The portions were large and well worth the money. The naan bread was also super tasty! Other pro was that delivery was quick! I will definitely be ordering from here again. read more

I really really want to give this 5 stars, but I have a couple bones to pick...no really, I had to pick a couple bones out of my chicken. But hey, I guess that's halal. Minus .5 points. I also felt quite ill after eating for dinner and the leftovers for lunch the next day. Usually I can totally stomach Indian food no problem. Minus .5 points. Otherwise, this place is the bombdotcom. HUGE portions for very reasonable if not cheap prices (especially off of Devon). My boyfriend and I each ordered 2 items (because they were so cheap) and got about 5 meals out of it total. Everything was delicious (despite the small bones - watch out). I really can't remember the chicken dishes we chose, but the saag paneer and the cauliflower were both great for the price. So yep, I am a fan of Shan. read more

Great food, friendly staff. Prices are low for the portion sizes. If you enjoy Pakistani/Indian cuisine this is the place. I work with a guy from Pakistan and he recommended them. I've been going there ever since he told me about it. He says it's the closest to home cooking. I work in the area so Im usually there during lunch hours and it gets busy. Not sure about other times. Parking is available but the lot is small, only about 10 cars can park. Two of the spaces are reserved for Subway but I've parked there before without issues. Street parking is a bit harder to find but not impossible. All in all a great place for some authentic food. read more

I hadn't eaten for several hours (due to some dental work) and when I felt my anesthetic wearing off, I was famished. I had a craving for Indian cuisine... but was open to Pakistani, too. Shan is right around the corner from where I live, I'd never been there, but since it had an overall rating of 4 stars here on Yelp, I decided to give it a try. True, the atmosphere isn't like a restaurant... more like a casual deli in a strip mall... but I wasn't going there for the surroundings anyway! As I stared up at the menu on the wall, a nice (and rather handsome, I must say) employee of the place handed a printed menu to me, which I thought was very kind (and saved me from straining my eyes). I didn't see any of the Indian-specific dishes I was craving, so I decided to take a chance on the Aaloo Gobi (potatoes & cauliflower in a spicy sauce) and an order of naan. The nice man who took my order asked me to sit down and said my food would be out shortly. Within minutes another smiling, friendly face handed a bag to me. I scurried about the corner and started eating. It was delicious (perhaps a tad greasier than I would've preferred, but not SO much that it detracted from the flavors or the experience. It's very good to know that I now have another decent place to get yummy exotic food within walking distance from my front door. :-) read more

I've eaten Shan twice. Both times I've been drunk. The first time they called and said they were out of Na'an. I thought that was weird but accepted it gracefully. When the food showed up, however, the Na'an was there (why am I capitalizing it, I wonder?) but my lamb dish was not. I guess they got confused. Anyway, there was a chicken neck in my curry. That totally fucked me up. I was drunk, so I ate it, but immediately afterward, I realized what happened. That was unsettling. So it took awhile before I had the balls to order Shan again. But I did. Tonight. And it was good. I got my lamb and my samosas and my Na'an (might as well continue) but the beef roll-- previously in egg-roll form-- was a small patty of beef and vegetable filling. Odd. And, after consumption I had the worst desire to write a musical about the Doors with an entirely Indian cast. This idea lingers. I think I should take a break from Shan. read more

Very generous sized naan for $1.25, but may as well say it's super-sized! Prices are extremely reasonable, and you still get a decent Indian cultural experience(i.e. the Indian pop music videos playing on the back dining room TV) without having to trek up to Devon. And an attached Indian grocery store, although I couldn't tell either way if it was as stocked as some of the ones I've been to on Devon. Finally, it was a nice surprise that the Seikh Kabab I ordered had just the right amount of spice to it, without being too little or overbearing. What isn't to like about all those things? It's just sad I didn't discover this place for an extremely long time, but always better late than never to do so. Parking can be tough at times to find in the lot, so prepare to park on the street at times if you drive here. It's also accessible from several bus routes at the Foster/Sheridan intersection, and just a short walk 1 block south on Sheridan. read more

I'm tired of all the unnecessary oil in Americanized Indian food across the board. It's just embarrassing. This is not the way people eat in India. I'm sorry Shan, you are going to take the hit here with 3 stars rather than 4 because I think you can take it. I think you can do better. So, other than the bhindi masala showing up at the table drowned in oil when I specifically asked for light oil and the server nodded...the food was very good. Now, I know what you are thinking. "She's always complaining about the oil." But I'm serious this time. Even my oil-friendly boyfriend agreed the bhindi was drenched in oil. Why didn't the server just say, "its oily, tough luck" when I was ordering? Perhaps there was a language barrier...but I don't think so. I hope people visit this place despite me being irritated by the oil. There is still great depth of flavor and I'm not mad. Plus, its the only Indian restaurant in the area and they have a grocery store attached! And Bollywood videos playing! And a parking lot, with cabbies! Parking is pretty easy in the area in the case there are too many cabbies. They also sell Indian sweets if you are into that. Warning, the food is spicy even for someone that can eat a lot of spice. The atmosphere is very casual. read more

Oh Shan... how I love thee. Let me count the ways... Oh wait, I can't, because I'm too busy enjoying your delicious food! You truly are a savior for this ever so price conscience student. Especially during finals week where I do not have enough time to sleep, much less cook. Nom nom nom nom. read more

Shan's has filled a void in my stomach. I've been living in Chicago for over 2 years and I had nearly given up on finding a decent Indian restaurant; until I was introduced to Shan's. Ok, I think that calling it a restaurant might be a little bold; I would definitely say it's more a take out joint. The meat curries are delicious, spicy,and yes may contain a few bones, but it really does add to the flavor. I'm a sucker for the lamb curry or the butter chicken, and just the thought of dipping my naan bread into the oily goodness that is the sauce is making me drool all over my keyboard. The prices are awesome too, and way cheaper than most Indian joints around town. Oh yeh, get the samosa's they are delightful. read more

Used to eat here 3 times a week when I lived about a block away. So sad that I've had to move. This is the best Pakistani/Indian food I've had in Chicago. I've eaten everything but the brains and okra, because I don't like brains or okra. The aaloo gobi is out of this world. Potatoes and cauliflower meld tenderly to near-mush in curry and ghee. I recommend chapati with this one - phenomenal combination. The other potato vegetable dishes (with spinach and with peas and carrots) are also great. I must give the potato another mention, as the aaloo qeema is another one of my favorites. Think Pakistani sloppy joe (curry, ghee, ground beef) with chunks of delightfully soft ptoato. One of these with 2 naan should get 2 people good and full. Chicken qeema is the chicken version of the sloppy joe comparison I just made, but without the potatoes. I think it's safe for me to say I've never enjoyed ground chicken as much as I have with this dish. If you're wanting some of the other chicken dishes, I'd steer you toward the tandoori or grilled chicken, or chicken boti, and away from the curry. Not that the curry is bad, but it's too greasy. The lamb curry suffers the same fate. One of the few knocks I have on Shan is that the lamb is sometimes not cooked well... ends up overdone and kind of tough, and the bones that come with it turn to a kinda crunchy half-gelatin that can make for a bad experience texturally. Combine that with a bowl of grease, and your stomach won't be happy. Now let's talk lentils. You can't go wrong with the chana (either one). It's excellent. But the real star of the dal show here is the masoor! Pulverized to the consistency of baby food, but tastes nothing like. The smooth, creamy lentil background is flecked with curry (of course), whole peppercorns, and mild red chilis. In my opinion, you're not going to find a better lentil meal anywhere. One last recommendation - despite bad lettuce, the kabab paratha roll is a great snack if you're just passing by and don't want a belly full of curry. Oh, and the samosas totally rock. Make sure to get the red sauce with them. Oh yeah, the prices all went up $1 a few years ago, but everything is still a good deal. There are a couple of downsides to Shan: delivery is a ripoff ($3 charge + $1 additional charge for each dish), and the biryani is overpriced and nothing special. read more

Okay, so this place is amazing. First of all, the dishes are $3.99 each. I came with a friend, and we both eat a lot, so we ordered three dishes (yogurt curry, spinach potato, and chickpea rice), two samosas ($1 each), and naan ($1.25). All vegetarian, so I can't vouch for the meats. But who needs meat when the veggies are so good!? We had enough leftovers for a second meal. Friendly serving staff. The second great part about this place is the grocery store which is in the next room. If you like Ethiopian food, you can buy yummy injera bread ($1.75 for three!) as well as exotic spices and spice mixes galore (dried mint leaves, black mustard seed, berbere). They had loads of sweet pastries behind the counter which looked really good but i was way too full and was already holding too many bags. But there will definitely be a next time. read more

I first went where three years ago when my friend lived kiddy corner from the restaurant. I loved it immediately! It's a small shop that also houses a grocery store. You can eat at the small tables in front, or wait there if you order take out. For a longer stay and larger group you can order at the restaurant portion. You'll see more men at Shan's in part because of cultural rules around men occupying public space and women staying in the home. But that's alright cause they don't care if you're a lady just wanting to get her grub on. Each time I've gone I only get vegetarian dishes. They probably have meat but I never order it. Any of the chana masalas are the best and I often get a side of lentils. Naan comes with most orders but you can also order extra. The food here is genuinely spicy and flavorful. No MN hot here! Prepare to sweat and sniffle and maybe feel like your face is on fire. Love every minute because it's worth it. The food is some of the best and I try to make it here every time I'm in Chicago. If you live in the area, grab a menu for takeout and you'll 'forget' to go grocery shopping so you can order here. In the words of the Lego Movie: EVERYTHING IS AWESOME read more

This is more of a cab driver joint..its open till realllly late at night. They have a small seating area, which is almost always occupied. Its not really a place I would go to dine-in at. But their food is a really good option for take-out. They serve Indian food and it is always hot and fresh. Their portions are huge and the food is really cheap. Great place to get some good tasting Indian food! read more

Shan Restaurant - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Shan's Foods is part bollywood-loving cabbie dinner favorite, and part hole-in-the-wall party-store cabbie hangout. Unless you generally don't like indian food, or any of the above ingrediants, you can't go wrong. But what can you expect from an Indian Restaurant, where the cuisine is just clever combinations of the same ingrediant again and again? The prices are great and the food is about that good, too. With samosas at a dollar apiece, i couldn't possibly say anything bad about them. It's clean-ish (i've only found a hair in my food one out-of-eight visits), i love it when restaurants don't use ice in their water (i do, actually), and there's always a 55-minute epileptic-inspired musical on in the background that keeps your mind and senses fully stimulated. Did I mention it's cheap? Go here, really. The four star rating is genuine. read more

I ordered one chicken biryani for pickup. It was very stale. Biryani was hot at the top and ice cold at the bottom. And there was no chicken in the biryani but filled with bones. And the naan was very sour because it was stale too. It made me feel like not to eat all. I have ordered many times from here. Most of the times it makes my stomach growl and stay in the restroom forever. I will never go there. And don't recommend either... read more

This place is a gem! Such good and flavorful dishes, good prices, and it is open late! You know this place is legit when it's parking lot is full of taxi cabs who's drivers are eating there. I forget the names of the dishes I've had, but every single one of them did me right. read more

Shan Restaurant - I forgot what the dishes were called, but they were so good!!! - Indian Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

When I worked in Uptown we ate here 3 times a week. This place is better than many Indian/Pakistani restaurants that cost twice as much, as evident by the plethora of cabs outside. Come here for a cricket match or at night during Ramadan. read more

Amazing food. Don't be fooled by the strip-mall setting. This place is great. We started with samosas which were huge and really flaky and good. I had Aaloo Mutter Gajar which is potato, carrot, and peas in a brown spice sauce. My bf had the lamb curry. Both were delicious. Side of rice, naan, paratha. All for $32. And we took home enough food from dinner for a second meal. I highly recommend Shan Restaurant. read more

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Amazing Pakistani food and very attentive staff. They care about the experience you have and will make sure you leave happy! Very clean and fresh all around, can't wait to go back! read more

I've been here once and I plan to return a million times more. This is REAL Indian food. Spicy! Filling! Delicious! It makes me miss my parents. Even though we're South Indian, not North Indian - and that's the fare served here. Shan Food, for those who aren't in the know, is a convenience store attached to Shan Restaurant, so this is where you should come to order take-out and buy batteries and toilet paper. Those who criticized either for their non-fancy look should seriously rethink what a restaurant/food service place is all about: food. This is your typical hole-in-the-wall joint that serves up food better than the fancy places written up in TimeOut. Although I did notice recently that this place was noted in TimeOut. Anyway. What was I talking about? OH yes. Gastronomic heaven. I went for a samosa, a naan and chana masala. All of them were 5-stars-worthy. And I am just so excited to try everything else. And for you to try everything else. Go! Now! Quick! read more

If you're looking for Americanized Indian food don't go here! This place is so unbelievably gross, I couldn't even eat my meal they brought out a dish full of chicken bones, I couldn't even take a bite without biting into a tendon or choking on a bone. One of the worst meals I have ever had! STEER CLEAR! read more

Shan's foods holds a special place in my little foodie heart. The first time I visited, I did carry out with some friends. My friend and I picked out some desserts and the man behind the counter threw in a few extra for free. My other friend rummaged through their VHS tapes on sale. We found one with English subtitles. We asked the man behind the counter if it was good and he goes, "You'll like this one." The food is cheap! It's great quality for the price. The second time I ate in with two friends. The three of us had tea, split two entrees, 4 pieces of nan and chapati, and 4 desserts. The bill? 17 bucks. I graciously paid for my friends. While we waited for our food, we laughed at a hilarious Bollywood film playing on the TV. If you want cheap, if you want a bit of an experience, and you want some decent Indian, bring a friend and head on over to Shan's. And after you eat, you can buy some toilet paper in the attached convenience store. Score! read more

Best nan I've had in a very long time, sorry Devon you've just never cut it for me. I'm generally not going out to look at pretty walls and all that jazz stuff.. I'm hungry and this place fills that need! and the cricket on the TV makes me feel at home. This hole in the wall that I've been walking past for far too long has some of the best tasting food I've had in years.. better than my mothers (sorry) and is surely worth stopping in on your way home or even eating in. Oh and the price just makes it that much more exciting. I'm just sorry I had been ignoring it for so long. read more

BEST VALUE IN TOWN DELIVERY OR NOT! I really wanted to keep this insane value a secret but, since it has over 60 reviews on Yelp alone, I might as well review Shan. I rarely, almost never, eat meat, fish, seafood, you know, flesh. Indian food is more than sufficient enough to satisfy on many levels in many ways without meat. So, this review is for the veggie stuff. They have what most Northern Indian restaurants have, greasy, darker, heavier and just barely spicy enough compared to the mostly vegan Southern Indian dishes. However, Shan is not light on flavor! Lots of Spice! Richness! Indulgence! The veggie staples are all above average, even for spice lovers spicy but, balanced in flavor. The veggie rice palao (sp?) is the best out of over 60 Indian restaurants I have visited across North America And Europe. The samosas are above average. The portions are on the heavy end. We have only ordered delivery and not dinned in. Every person that answers the phone is friendly and I have never had a goof on any order (I've ordered over 7 times) There's plenty of food for two people and it comes out to about $25 with a 15% tip! That's with 2 main courses, rice, naan and 2 samosas! BEST VALUE IN TOWN DELIVERY OR NOT! read more

I ordered for pickup many times. Food is always prepared fast and hot with consistent quality. I'm obsessed with their Chana masala and chicken makhani. Meals are not served with rice, you have to order basmati rice separately, but the price is very fair. read more

I was definitely in the mood for some indian food and this came up on my yelp search. Love yelp! This place is part grocery store, part restaurant. The people here are really nice and helpful. The food here is also good. We had the aaloo palak and chicken briyani along with some naan. There is also self serve tea, it's like a non sweetened milk tea, yum! The serving size is excellent, we have left overs for another meal. The prices are good too for the serving size you get. In short, check this place out. It will not disappoint. We'll come back here to try the lentils in the future. read more

this restaurant is over rated for their halwa puri and paya .. one of the worst paya i have ever eaten .. and their halwa puri is not even good at all either . i will never recommend this restaurant to anyone . read more

I hate not being able to give this place at least four stars because I really wanted to support this cheap hole-in-the-wall, attached-to-a-grocery-store, indian/pakistani restaurant in my neighborhood. However, my stomach is telling me otherwise. We got two orders of the samosas which were fabulous (could be a little crispier but I'm not going to complain especially when they are only $1 each)! The cool cucumber yogurt sauce was surprisingly spicy and went very well with the samosa. My boyfriend and I split an order of the chicken mikhani and this is where we ran into trouble. It smelled absolutely delicious and even though it looked a little greasy, we were looking forward to digging in. The menu clearly stated that it would be boneless chicken cooked in a butter sauce but the first bite I took was a piece of hard tendon. The second piece I picked up was a small piece of bone. Same for my boyfriend. Ughhhh - this totally made me lose my appetite but I forced myself to dig through the sauce for actual pieces of CHICKEN (which were actually pretty good). When I eat bad food, it usually takes a whole day before I start feeling it. We ate this meal at around 9pm and me and my boyfriend were up all night taking shifts on the toilet. It's now the next morning and I am still feeling queasy and uneasy. So as much as I wanted to like this place, I think we will have to pass next time we are craving Indian food. read more

Had never even heard of this place until a friend mentioned it and wanted to go there for lunch. I thought, "What better food to hear about relationship problems than Indian food?!" So I made the looooong trek from south loop to uptown. The food isn't all that special. Not great, not bad. They were out of the dish I wanted so that was disappointing. The dish I did have was ok but nothing spectacular. The decor could use a little sprucing up. The Bollywood videos on the TV were definitely a highlight. Shan's Foods: nice place to share stories with friends, hideous/non-existent decor, average food read more

It's ok.. the gravy seemed very oily and the naan bread tasted more like a pizza crust.

This is my neighborhood joint for Indian food, when I don't feel like trekking up to Devon. It a hybrid of a restaurant, take-out join, small grocer and taxi driver hang-out. I've only gotten take-out there, but it is good. I tend to sick to the veggie dishes, because the few meat dishes I've gotten were greasy. However, it cheap and good. You can feed four people for under $15. The prices are why it gets four stars...if the meat dishes were better it would have five. My one warning is that the food has a lot of heat. So if you don't handle spicy food well beware. read more

Best restaurant for hulwa puree in Chicago. A very typical conservative Pakistani restaurant

This is my dream restaurant and serves the real deal Pakistani food. Everything I've had is superb, mostly because of how fresh the ingredients are. It's nothing fancy, just solid and quality dishes. My favorites are Frontier Chicken, Aloo Palak, and their Lamb Biryani. If you eat there - either in the front room (men) or in the "family room" (women, married couples, families) - the service is prompt and polite. There also have a grocery store with Desi and Ethiopian items. The injera they sell is literally homemade. The women's names are displayed in the injera's package, so you can remember to ask for it by her name next time you go to buy. Shan's definitely a spot to eat and shop well. read more

Delivery was really fast. Naan, rice, and samosas were good. Prices are really cheap but it's not worth it. The lamb dish had 3 or 4 dinky pieces of lamb (each bitesize)and then a big of piece of chicken in it. WTF. The chicken dish had a decent amount of meat but it was full of flubbery pieces of meat with bones and ligaments and what not still attached to it. It's like they just took a machete to the chicken when they dressed it. The flavors of the meat dishes were okay. read more

Went here based on its Yelp reviews. Came on a Monday around 12:30 for lunch and was surprised it wasn't busy. Really good food for ridiculously cheap prices, which is why you come here. You don't come here for the service or atmosphere. We ordered 2 samosas, 2 pieces of naan bread, an order of chana masala, aloo palak, and a coke. What we got: 2 pieces of naan bread roughly twice the size of my head, chana masala and aloo palak servings that were large enough that next time we'll just split one dish. (Our samosa's and coke never came, but we already had way too much food and weren't charged for it so we didn't say anything). I'd love to come back for takeout because a single order of the chana masala or the aloo palak will serve at least 2 and I'd make my own basmati rice and make some Trader Joe's frozen naan bread (and the whole dinner for 2 will only cost $4.99). Sweet. read more

Ordered delivery. Entrees do not come with rice. But you really only need one side. They give you a mountain of rice! Butter chicken was kind of lacking. Not the usual flavor I am used to. However my boyfriend loved his chicken masala. And thought it was great! The naan is extra thick, not my favorite type. But still delish. Food came hot and everyone was very nice. Overall, meh. read more

Amazing. We just moved to the neighborhood and after a day of unpacking my husband and I were starving. We looked up the closest restaurant and this was literally 3 minutes away. We walked over, went over the menu, and ordered take out after getting some recommendations. The food is fabulous. They're late hours make them perfect for when we get home late from work or travel and they're extremely quick. Would highly recommend the tandoori chicken! read more