This place is so underrated! I have never had a bad meal here. Big portions and delicious food. The tandoori naan is so crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. The chicken karahi is fantastic - chicken is extremely tender and juicy, gravy is flavorful and they top it off with fresh ginger and coriander leaves. Service is quick and staff is polite. read more

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Egg rolls with sauces 5/5, Yum! Tika masala and rice 5/5, In amazing sauce, nice and buttery Spinach and potato 4.5/5, Great appetizer Chicken Karahi 4/5, Would get something else next time +Naan - Food came in quick and would come again! read more

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So it's been about 2 or more years since I came to this place. Previously they left a lot to be desired. I went with my family and decided to give them another try. I left pictures of what I ordered. Charga was very good, made fresh from what I gathered as the meat wasn't stale or smelly and the masala was well mixed. Same goes for the kebabs. Biryani was good, I mean, I can't expect fresh biryani but taste wise, it was made well, masala wasn't heavy. The gosht karahi in my opinion was made well and appropriate masala but too much oil. Naan was awesome, not too doughy and cooked appropriately. Overall, I think they are doing better than before but considering we were the only dine in there, it would be interesting if they can keep the same quality of the food if there were a restaurant full of people. read more

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The food is just delicious and they take care of your spice levels! The indoor seating looked pretty kool! I just had a takeout so just visited it. The Karahi chicken was just too good and also the lamp chops read more

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I'll admit it was my first time trying haleem, but this was one of the best South Asian dishes I've ever had. Great texture, good and spicy, loved the raw ginger on top. And great bread to dip in it. Our server was very nice and attentive as well. Go for the weekend specials! read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - The delicious Haleem. - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ordered the fried chicken half. The white meat was fairly dry. The dark meat was juicy and had a nice crisp to it. The naan was soft & fluffy on the interior while just crispy on the outside. I didn't find this chicken particularly special. Just OK. read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Half Fried Chicken - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have to say after a good recommendation one of my co-workers, I finally give a shot to this place, I have to throw on that this restaurant is a Pakistani approved place by one of my other co-worker. I came with couples of co-workers and had a family-style dinner. The restaurant is located in the city with make parking a little difficult, but the restaurant is pretty big so is not that hard to get a table. They don't serve alcohol or allow it from outside like most of the restaurant in Philly with making it a little turn off but the food makes it worth it. We order the fried chicken, curry goat, biryani, and some bread. One of the best combinations of that night was dipping the bread on the curry coat sauce making it very delicious. The fried chicken had a good seasoning a bit spicy with you could taste it at the end, with it make it unique and very had to resist the amazing flavor, we ended ordering another one, this has to be the most order plate everytime you come here. The biryani was ok, it had a good taste but not a fan of it on this place the VIP of the night was chicken for sure. I can see myself coming back to eat more fried chicken. read more

I was just passing by and decided to stop and try middle eastern food and I was in for a surprise !! Some of the best chicken I have tried, I highly recommend the half chicken and lamb chop platter , service is really good and the place is clean . I come here almost every day read more

Wah-Gi-Wah is a Pakistani restaurant in West Philly, a few blocks outside University City. Tipped off by a Facebook review in a community forum, my friend and I decided to come find out what "food better than my Pakistani mother's" tastes like. We shared the half chargha (fried chicken), allo palak (spinach and potatoes), and takatak fish (grilled fish with herbs and spices). Juicy and full of flavor, the chargha alone was good enough to warrant a repeat visit. The spinach and potatoes in the allo palak were smooth and flavorful. Our least favorite, the takatak fish was salty and oily. We think the sauce would taste better with a heartier protein like lamb. Despite what other Yelpers reported, our servers were attentive and friendly. We had a huge pitcher of water all to ourselves. Including tax and tip, we spent $16 per person - well worth it for a delicious dinner! read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Overall rating this location has is not justified. I been coming here since they opened 8-9 years ago. Yes their service isn't top notch. There isn't professional waiter or waitress working in there. They just bring the food out to you, that's all. However, their food is amazing. Absolutely amazing!!! I am very picky with desi food. This place is my favorite. Their food is fresh, and cheap. Restaurant is very clean and pretty big inside. Great for large group and family. They are great for catering food for large event. Owner is super friendly and will work with you on the price. read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I was going to give them the benefit of the doubt and leave my review at three stars, but after this past visit, I'd have to give this place a solid one star. To start out, I understand that the winter is pretty unforgiving right now and heating bills can add up, but for a restaurant with very large dine-in space, it seems like something is off when customers are shivering while eating their food, all bundled up in their puffy winter coats, all while sitting INSIDE the restaurant. I don't really need an extremely comfortable dining experience, but I did not pay for an uncomfortable one. This time, we ordered Aloo Keema and a chicken and chickpea curry dish. The Aloo Keema was not only cold, but was also overly salty and had the texture and dullness of leftovers. This dish falls solidly in the "zombified" category. It is clear that the life had been sucked out of this dish over and over through vigorous stirring and numerous trips between the fridge and the microwave. I now see what Rizwan A. meant by "corner-cutting" in his review of this place. The chicken chickpea curry dish was hot when it came out, but this was probably because it was drenched in piping hot chili oil. There was a serious lack of flavor in the chicken, the chickpeas, as well as the sauce. I might come back again, but only for the sake of convenience. There are places within blocks that serve better and fresher versions of this food. P.S. Thanks to Babak S. for posting photos of the food menu. I tried to find the menu on their website, but soon realized that their entire website is filled with ads (e.g. French Food Menu, Applebees Restaurant Menu?!...) and no actual food menu (that I could see as of today). If you click on these ads, they get something like $0.45 per click. The abundance and pervasiveness of ads suggests that whoever designed this website might be hoping that consumers might accidentally click on these ad links while searching for the food menu on this restaurant's website. read more

Omg the chicken charga is to die for!!! Highly recommend getting. Food is very authentic and delicious here. I also always get samosas chaat. It's always so so good read more

I went here with 3 coworkers that are from Pakistan. I got to say this place is really good. The food was great and exotic. Previously I had tries a Pakistani place and the food was very similar to Indian. This place was definitely not that. We had curry goat, some spiced fry chicken, a chicken pea dish, beef kabob and some bread. The curry goat, chicken and bread were the best. I'll definitely have to go back and try some of their other dishes. I do agree with some of the reviewers that the service is a bit slow, but it is on par with the slow service I keep getting around Philly. The food was worth it though. read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Most of the food was alright, but damn, that fried fish was insane. Probably the best fried fish I have ever had- crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Well-seasoned all throughout and an absolute delight to eat. I wish I could change my order and just get the fish instead of whatever I ordered because it was out of this world. I think I got a chicken something but it was only decent. It is a little bit more expensive in the 15-20$ range, but the service was a bit slow. It was easy to get seated though. read more

A great place to eat overall! Love the amazing selection of Pakistani, indian, and Bangladeshi food they have to offer. The only reason for the 4 and not the 5 stars is that the dishes tend to be less on the spicy side comparatively to other Pakistani/Indian restaurants. Even when requested to make the food spicier, the Heat was missing! Having said that, I go about every week to pick up some Kashmiri chai -which is amazing ( the chopped almonds really make it authentic). They also have really great dessert options, and you have a sweet tooth like me... the kheer is great! The restaurant looks like it's family owned ( I see the same wonderful woman and man working the cash register/waiting tables every week), and it really some charm to the place. Definitely a place to go to get some homey food ( unless yk you're vegan). read more

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Was suggested by a friend. Place was empty on Friday evening. There is no parking and finding street parking was hard . We ordered samosa chaat , chicken karahi with kulcha , chicken charga and kheer . Kulcha naan was good and kheer was authentic. Rest of food was bland . Karahi was tasteless. Restaurant was clean . We are not from Philadelphia but suggest trying other restaurants if available to try Pakistani cuisine. read more

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Wah-Gi-Wah is amazing! The food I had was delicious! We ordered the allo palak, allo keema, Lahori Chargha (chicken), naan and keema naan. Reading other negative reviews it sounds like people made the mistake of ordering stereotypical Indian food here (opposed to the Pakistani dishes). The Pakistani food was so good! The chicken was fried whole and was very moist and flavorful on the inside. But my personal favorite was the the allo keema. They use ground goat for the keema and it is fantastic! I cannot wait to go back and eat their again. Oh yea! Also, I hear they can prepare a whole leg of goat dish made to order (Lahori Style Raan Roast). Just give them a few hours notice and they can make it. I need to try that one day! read more

Absolutely delicious. We ate in pre-covid and have taken out several times post-covid. We love the Nihari Beef and Chicken Chargha. Can't get enough of the delicious naan. read more

I used to come here all the time and the food taste is always great. HOWEVER, after 3 years in Philly, I would NOT recommend this place to anyone. Rude servers, the owner doesn't listen to customers, they never own up to their mistakes, there is noise of construction which they don't acknowledge or apologize for. They took the wrong order and would not accept it!! The replacement order took more than 40 minutes. The one time I ordered food for catering, it was more than an hour late and they did not show any remorse! Disgusting read more

I went here once, and frankly there was little saving grace from my experience. The place was fairly empty when I arrived and I promptly ordered an Achari chicken and some kebabs to make the $20 min for using a credit card. The water never made it to my table, other customers came in and got served before me, and after asking a second time the water still never made it to my table. When the food eventually made its way to me, it was lukewarm, and had only the faintest taste of 'achar' (pickle). The kebabs were dry and I had to ask twice to get some chutney on the side for that as well. I've had good Pakistani food before, but unfortunately, this was not it. The tiniest saving grace might be the sesame naan, which was quite good but come on. FWIW, the owner mentioned the Chargha is their specialty when I was paying the bill, but I won't be back here any time soon. read more

This is my favorite Pakistani restaurant!! Its kind of hot in there and definitely gets crowded so that can be a little much but the food is 100% worth it. Also the main waitress there is very sweet. My favorite thing to get is the chicken chargha! And their naan is soooo good. My Pakistani fiance makes amazing karahi but theirs is a close second. It is honestly one of my favorite restaurants overall in Philadelphia!! read more

If I could give zero stars I would. Ordered the chicken karahi and chicken kebabs. The chicken Karahi was a chicken salan/curry at best. Nothing karahi about it. Asked for spicy, got extremely bland food with no flavour. I can make a way better one at home. The curry in chicken Karahi was next to nothing given we ordered full chicken karahi. Never going again! read more

My first visit to this restaurant after a visit to UPenn. Parking's a pain. You'll be lucky if you find anything in 5 blocks. Saad's is right down the street. Luckily these guys are not cash only like the other restaurants on the block. The place is clean but staff really need some training. The male waiter was actually responsive while the lady at the counter was probably hard of hearing or acted like that, completely disregarding questions and ignoring people asking her questions. We felt very offended by that. That lady needs to be trained or proper staff hired if they want more business. The tables were new and clean, bathroom was new but needed more maintenance by staff. The staff would be pleasant while at your table but unresponsive at the counter for some reason. Have to flag down our waiter to order more stuff. The two stars are for the food which was very good and one for the owner who did make an effort by coming to our table and asking how everything was but the staff were a complete turnoff. Would definitely come back but to get takeout, would have to find out how they are on the phone orders. Decor was pretty nice with some rural touches. Food: We ordered the family grill platter which included a chargha chicken and three small kababs along with 5 naans, the goat biryani, the chicken white karahi, some mango lassis, some salty lassis and tea afterwards. The wait was a bit long (better to order ahead I guess if they do take any orders) The chargha was very good but a bit bland to my taste, the goat biryani changed to chicken as they apparently ran out but was very good, the kababs were very good, so was the mint chutney that came with the platter. The platter came with salad which was very fresh, the chicken white karahi was a bit sweet even though I asked for spicy, the salted lassi was amazing and refreshing. The naans were the best naans we've had so far, nice fluffy and right from the oven, the chargha was very well made but just lacking a little bit of spice but I guess that's how the people around there like it. read more

I have had wah-gi-wah many times as many people I know have gotten delivery or weddings catered from here. The food here is way better than most restaurants I have been to and I may start getting delivery more often from them. It is not a fancy restaurant so don't be alarmed but it is tasty so you can let that go. Service is slow but thats fine I hate being rushed anyway but towards the end I just wanted the (sweet) waitress to just stop talking to us so we could go home. The owner did come out and chat with my family and he was nice - my uncle asked him to open one in LA and the owner said no I don't like it there lol. foodwise we got the Chargha (heavily seasoned, deep fried whole chicken) which is what made them famous and it was really good. I enjoyed the taste but would have liked it to be a little less dry. They also have a baked version which I look forward to trying soon. The chicken and beef kabobs were tasty, the seasoning was done right and they weren't dry. We also got the butter chicken which had more seasoning in it than your traditional creamier variety and it was good. I especially enjoyed dipping the (AMAZING) naan in the sauce. My uncle also got the naan stuffed with beef, this was unique and pretty good. The chicken karhai was really good and now I just want a good home cooked meal thinking about all this food! The Briyani I think was the last bit they had (everything else was REALLY fresh) so I wasn't as much of a fan. I didn't enjoy the pink tea but the kheer (rice pudding dessert) wasn't bad. read more

The best Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian food on the east coast!!!!! If you go on the weekend try the Haleem and Paya (runs out usually by Saturday night) read more

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We went towards the end of the night during COVID..., they had blocked off very other table .... but I was impressed with the chicken charga. The chicken keema very oily and nice and spicy . The chicken keema was great and there naans are always good! Palak gosht was surprisingly very good ! But we didn't really care for the lamb chops and rice . Overall I would give this place another try ! read more

Good tasty Pakistani resturant, known for Chicken Churga. Food is fresh and delicious. Kabobbs are also good. Service is fast but Chixken Churga taks about 30mins, so try to call early if you want to try churga. read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Restaurant - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Best Pakistani Food in Philly! I love this place! Try the Pakistani style fried chicken, veggie samosas and sesame naan! The whole staff and owners are very sweet as well! read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Pakistani Fried Chicken, Rice, Chicken Tiki Masala, Sesame Naan - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Decent Pakistani food. Portions are probably generous. Aloo Tikki - Katakat - Tandoor Roti - read more

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This place may have 2 stars overall and possibly because of service but this is a Pakistani restaurant and what do you expect? And long as the food is good I give these places a full 5. The naans are excellent! They come out piping hot and ready to be eaten with your choice of protein deliciousness! We tried the chicken chargha, the chicken keema and haleem and all were excellent! We also had brain nihari which lacked salt - I'll probably order it again in case this was a one off just because I happen to love nihari! Go here for the food not the service! read more

My favorite restaurant in USA. What I enjoy eating? Lahori Charga Chicken Karahi Cholay Kulcha Naan Plain Naan Chicken Shaami Kebabs Kulfi Chicken Seekh Kebabs Chicken Taka Tak My mom loves their sweet paan. Just make sure to let them know about spicy or use of less salt. Their food is amazing. read more

We were blown away by the deliciousness of their food. Everything we tried was perfectly cooked, spice level was on point and the flavor profile knocked our socks off. The space is clean and the staff was super kind and helpful. There's so much on the menu to try, we are excited to go back! read more

They would not take our order over the phone even though we were one hour away and in a hurry. Great food. Terrible service.

Recommended by a friend; this casual restaurant has some of the best tasting Pakistani food ever. We tried: - Lahori Chargha - Tawa Chicken - Nihari - Kheer Everything was absolutely delicious. One thing was better than the last and the Kheer was phenomenal. Definitely coming back here for more food. read more

Hate to give it one star, but there's just no way around it. I do not contest the fact that you can get amazing food here. So amazing that it may be the best you've ever had. But on the other hand, the ridiculous inconsistency here and the underhanded corner-cutting management that actually *prides* itself on passing off old food as new earn this place the worst rating possible. I hate to say it, but the place is run in a very non-American style. Take that to mean what you will, in short, it's a two-bit operation with good recipes, but wildly variable quality and a very loose, uncaring handle on how to deal with the social norms of the clientele in a place like Philly. It's Pakistani/Indian food which is definitely made great when it's done right, but how often that happens is anyone's bet. Half the time more than 50% of the menu is unavailable. They sort of ride out from week to week whatever they can afford or whatever will keep their costs down. Sadly I don't see this place lasting. One time I had great chicken here, another time, I could tell they had eagerly given me an old portion of haleem. Your best bet on coming here is after they've had a lot of customers, that's the only way you know you're getting fresh food. If you walk in and the place looks empty, seriously, just pass this place by, you'll be doing yourself a huge favor. read more

I had been here a few times in the past and was not very impressed. While the owners were nice, the menu was pretty much useless. Every time I tried to order something (on the phone or in person) they would tell me that they only had whatever was in their steam trays, and couldn't make anything to order. Then why bother even having a menu? In addition, the food in the steam trays never looked fresh or appetizing, since they had been sitting around for hours and tasted as such. Sure, it was pretty cheap, but it wasn't particularly good. However, after reading LaBan's glowing review, we decided to give Wah-gi-wah another chance and tried the charga fried chicken. He was right: it was pretty amazing. The naan wasn't bad either. We also ordered some eggplant dish from one of the steam trays, and were kind of disappointed at the size of the tiny container that had cost us $5. The eggplant itself was just okay; I wouldn't order it again. My advice? Stay away from the pre-made food and just get the charga. This deliciously-seasoned deep-fried whole chicken is definitely worth the $12. read more

I so want to give this place a higher rating, but the service is going to be their downfall. Was there at 5:30 on a Friday afternoon, one table (parents with small child) arrived just before we did. I watched at least four other parties, who arrived after I did, receive their food before my party (one of them even received 2/3 of what we ordered!!), and the family finally walked out after an hour - after telling manager "Saw six people get their food, where is ours??" Manager came by table to ask what we had ordered. If they would put a simple system in place (names or a unique number on each order) everything would be fine. When it was time to pay, it took 10 minutes standing at cash register for them to acknowledge me. Food - Allo Tikki (mashed potatoes mixed with spices, formed into patty and fried) was OK, Sabzi (mixed vegetables) was OK, Sesame Naan was very good, Lahori Chargha (seasoned crispy fried chicken) was very good. May go back once they get their act together, but the horrendous service outweighs the good food. read more

This is by far the best Pakistani/Indian restaurant I have been to in Philadelphia. The food has been consistently delicious and well prepared. If you're craving a piece of home, then this is the place to go to. The chicken tikka and chapli kababs are choice, and might even be better than what I've had in Pakistan. If you're in town and looking for some delicious and flavorful food, this is the place to be. read more

If you're looking for a hole-in-the-wall, cheap place to eat decent Pakistani food, this place is it. The freshly cooked food, which includes the Lahori roasted chicken and naan, are great. In fact, its hard to get good naan in Philly and this place has the best naan you'll find in the area. However, much of the food isn't freshly prepared but is sitting under a hot lamp and is simply put on your plate when you order. I think this place would be better if all the food was fresh. read more

I have eaten in the restaurant once and more recently ordered catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. When I went to the restaurant with a friend, I loved the whole chicken platter--the fried chicken was extremely tender and nicely portioned. Service was pretty fast as well. A few months later, I was running a dinner event for 24 people that included a seminar component about West Philadelphia and decided to order catering from Wah-Gi-Wah. Although I'm not sure that they have an official catering menu (I couldn't find it online), I called the restaurant to see if it was possible. The restaurant was extremely easy to work with and accommodated my needs. I ordered chicken platters, ground beef and ground chicken kabobs, and two different platters of mixed vegetables, and the meal came with bread, salad, and yogurt sauce. I told them I needed enough food for 24 people, some of whom would be vegetarian or Kosher, and they worked with me to order the right amount of food for a reasonable catering cost. They delivered the food to my location per my request and allowed me to pay once I received the delivery. Everyone at the event loved the food and were stuffed to contentment, and we were even left with some leftovers. Although the chicken was a bit messy to eat during a talk, the kabobs were easy to eat, juicy, and well-seasoned--quite spicy actually! The kick from the kabobs went very well with the refreshing yogurt sauce, and the combination was actually quite addictive. Overall, affordable prices, delicious chicken and kabobs, and easy to work with for catering orders. Definitely check this place out! read more

Wah-Gi-Wah - Fried chicken! - Pakistani Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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