Alhamra
Category: Indian/Pakistani [Edit]
Neighborhood: Mission3083 16th St
(between Caledonia St & Rondel Pl)
San Francisco, CA 94103 (415) 621-3935
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 11:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. - Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
- Alcohol: None
243 reviews
Neighborhood: Lower Haight
"I am thoroughly annoyed with Rotee after my first (and probably last) visit last night. I came in at 8:20 on a Tuesday night to order food…" read more »
95 Reviews for Alhamra
Holy crap, the spice level is off the charts here! I consider myself fairly tolerant of spice in my curry, but Al Hamra's idea of spicy is exceptional. Good thing my stomach was quite pleased and settled after my Chicken Curry (especially fortunate given that my next stop was SFO to catch a red-eye flight). The plate was huge, the other flavors came through somewhat, and the price was right. But I think I'll go for the Tikka Masala next time, which will hopefully tamp the spice level down to what I expected with the Curry.
Good Chicken masala Tikka, good nan, unimpressive rice. It's weird that they only offer plain basmati rice. My order was about $4 short of the $15 minimum so they suggested a lamb thing that was a little greasy but alright.
They estimated the delivery time at 45 minutes and delivered in 16.
I feel bad, the early delivery threw me off and I miscalculated the change I wanted back. I gave the driver a dollar less than I intended. I'll make it up to them next time; I just hope they don't spit in my food.
Would someone please send me a PM to tell me what you are supposed to do with the sauces they send?
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Really, ppl think this place is good? I went with some friends last night and had not only horrible food, but also amazingly bad service.
it started out "great" when my friend ordered a sparkling water, which had no sparkle in it. When we told them they said they didn't have sparkling water. THE BOTTLE SAYS SPARKLING water!!! as did the others in the refrigerator. So they took it back (but conveniently left it on the check). The naan had very little if any taste (and we got flavored naan's) and the Saag paneer was DISGUSTING. My mango lasse was not that tasty and served in a child's size glass. Achar, which is usually free with meals, cost here and they gave such a small size.
I wish i had talked to friends before coming here, as since mentioning it to ppl they all said the same thing. It used to be decent, and has been far below that for a while.
I don't think Pakwan up the street is that great either, but it blows this place out of the water.
I will not be coming back here ever again.
The person on phone was so rude when I called(5 minutes ago) to order the lunch special to go that I ended up having to hang up out of frustration. He was deliberately being a complete prick, can't believe it after reading so many positive reviews. Guess it's back to eating Pakwan despite their frighteningly low Dep. of Public Health score...
Good, cheap, and fast eats. Three of us - all very hungry - came here before a movie at the Victoria Theater.
- Two orders of naan
- One order of roti
- Three dishes (2 chicken, 1 veg)
- Two mango lassi's
We ordered regular naan and it was good; not extraordinary but just as you'd expect naan to taste. I was a bit confused by the roti, which looked and tasted exactly like the naan. Maybe I'm just used to a different style of roti but it was surprising.
We each picked a dish - mine was the Chana Masala and I liked it a lot. Solid spices, not too oily. If I lived in the area, I'd probably be ordering this a lot.
Skip the mango lassi. For $2, it's a very small glass and didn't taste like it was worth $2.
The atmosphere is very simple. There are tables and there are chairs. There's an interesting mural on one wall and mirrors on the other. Kinda dark but still spacious enough to not be creepy.
As mentioned previously, the bathrooms are horribly configured: a lesson in poor design, indeed!
We all left very full and happy. For $30, that's not bad.
Would I go again: Yes
Would I go out of my way: No
This Place Has Great Indian Food. The SWEET NAAN Bread Is The Best. They Make Awesome Curry (all kinds), And Any Of Vindaloo and Sag Items Are Great To Try. You Can Dine In Or Take Out Its Great Either Way.
I really, really like this place. The Chicken Tikka Masala is some of the best I've ever had. Sometimes. It seems like there are a few different cooks here, and they don't all share the same recipes. Most of the time it is spot on, hence the four star rating.
I've also had good experiences with the Vegetable Korma and the Saag Paneer, just for the record. If you want it spicy, you have to tell them, otherwise it's very mild.
I can't comment on the staff or the actual restaurant itself, as I have always gotten either carry-out or delivery. Speaking of, they deliver until 11pm, so they get quite a bit of business from me.
And it blows away Pakwan. They're not even in the same league.
Recommended, but your best bet is almost always to get food on the weekends. It's just... better. For whatever reason.
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I was stomping around the Mission today and I decided to check this place out based off of the Yelp reviews. I've got to say, this is my kind of curry dive. An unpretentious paper-napkin sort of place where I can throw down a ten and leave stuffed with a completely legit lamb vindaloo with rice and good naan. The vindaloo was quite hot, but it was just about right for my tastes. More importantly under the spicyness, the sauce had a good depth of muttonous flavor. I made sure I saved enough naan to scoop up every last bit!
Delicious! San Francisco has some fantastic Pakistani-Indian places and this is one of them!
Don't go here for the atmosphere -- it is very basic. Don't go here for the service -- it is a little abrupt and definitely not warm & fuzzy. DO go to Alhamra for some deliciously spicy food!
The food here is very good, and when I went, they gave us the lunch-special price even though it was way past lunch time. I felt kind of bad for how little money I had spent on such delicious food.
If you use a wheelchair, do not go to this place, because you have to climb over the toilet in order to close the bathroom door. The ADA-believing, disability-rights part of me hates this place because of the bathroom, but the really-interested-in-crappy-design part of me wants to take everyone here just to see the bathroom. I'm torn.
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I've eaten in at this place a couple times and recently ordered delivery and thought I'd finally write a review.
FOOD: the chana masala and benghan bartha (sp?) were very tasty. We ordered is spicy and they made it spicy the native way....by using spice! Left a nice tingle in my mouth (my buddy also felt the same way).
SERVICE: this place is not known for their service. the decor and vibe of the restaurant itself is kinda blah. it took me a while to get through on the phone (Sunday night) and once I finally did, I was put on hold. food took about 45" to arrive, despite my being only a few blocks away. perhaps it was busy, but most of the other restaurants in that area deliver within 20-25 minutes. but, I am glad they deliver as i'll be ordering again and just planning around the long(ish) wait.
PRICE: good value indeed
Alhamra is cheap
the delivery is fast
and the food is good
try the saag paneer
chicken tikka masala
and aloo ghobi
it's kind of spicy
so get a side of rice and naan
to follow it with
When the morning comes
you may feel a little sick
so stock up on tums
but I guarantee
you will want their food again
I know that I do
that was dumb. sorry. don't take it out on Alhamra though.
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This place was really good for a while--they'd do low-oil orders and deliver decent Saag Paneer and Tandoori chicken. But last time--hoo nellie. The chana masala was hard as a rock and tasted semi-rotten, we had to pour an inch of oil of the Saag Paneer and the chicken was half-raw. And, despite numerous assurances, they brought no sauce!
Two half-hearted stars for the two times they brought decent food.
I haven't yelped about anything for 12 months. And I wasn't inclined to yelp about Alhamra last night after I left the place after dinner. But today, after smacking down the chicken byrani that I ordered "to go", I am compelled to tell y'all - look no further!
If you are another desi yearning for chicken byrani, the way it should be done, Alhamra's got it! And if you happen to be from Karachi, think student's byrani - kapeesh?
So the service is not amazing. But the prices are. And the food definitely IS! Last night the Bihari kebab and Chicken Karhai (spicy please) rocked my world. And the conversation in "theek punjabi" between the waiter and another customer was music to my ears - sweet like honey dripping off a jalebi!
I am moving to the mission so that I can eat there everyday. Bus! Khatam baath!
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Yeah...first time I tried ordering takeout from this place, the phone rang and rang and rang. I decided not to try it then, but gave them a second chance.
This time when I called, I had a fun conversation with the person who took my order, who kept saying "Yeah," as I made my order. I had to prompt her for how long it would take, that that was the end of my order, etc. When I got there, neither the woman (not sure if it was the same one) nor someone who came out from the kitchen bothered to greet me.
According to the menu the rice, naan and chicken curry should have been 9 dollars, but she told me 10. I'm hoping that's tax and not an overcharge, because the food was crap. I almost wondered if they were a Naan-n-Curry in disguise, because there was a good solid layer of grease on top of the chicken curry.
The chicken curry itself was terrible. It honestly seemed like chicken in grease. No spices or "curry". Just chicken. In grease. The naan and rice were okay, although my naan was cold by the time I got back to my office--I assume it's because it was more exposed to the air being in a paper bag, but I was still disappointed. I think I might prefer going to Naan-n-Curry if I had to make a choice, because at least they were friendly there.
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I eat my lunch here every Monday after spending my morning working at a homeless shelter. By the end of the morning I'm a bit fed up with all things homeless so I use this place to recharge my battery for another afternoon of - "I spent all my money on Crack again today". So I'm usually in a really foul mood as I walk back to my office and inevitably some homeless person asks me for some money for food (crack) so I do the following ........
I got some Tikka Masala
and you ain't got none
cause you can't afford it
cause you on the welfare
and you smoked your checked up
wanna bite?
Psych!!!!!!!
Anyone else think I'm burnt out and it might be time for a job change?
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I love this place. I go here as often as I can. Which lately, since my job is now far away, is practically never. But I always try to get people to eat here when we don't know where to eat. I think the look of the place scares people away. I really don't care about stuff like that, so whatever. This place is SO CHEAP and that is very important to me, because I am too.
I am in LOVE with their lunch menu, the two vegetarian dishes, rice, and naan for like five bucks. What could be any better? It's all pretty spicy, and it could get hotter or less hot if you want it. This place makes my wallet happy.
I would give it a 4.5 but they don't have that, so I'm giving it a 4, because they don't have some dishes that I would like them to have. Not as much choice as some other restaurants, but at like half the price, who cares?
A lot of the time when I try to get people to go here we end up deciding to go to Pakwan instead. Sucks for my wallet, even though really Pakwan isn't much more expensive
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I highly desire this place. i watch them cook, ring me up, write my order, serve me, stroll between the tables - always without a smile or a hint of emotion.
the man who cooks watches the street like Popeye the Sailor surveying 16th street for walking cans of spinach. this one woman there is the one I could have berth my children, a sturdy, maternal woman - her warn yet warm hands placing my dinner in front of me as if she were planting seeds within the earth
I love meeting up for dinner with my friend who lives in the mission. It is always quite an adventure. So a week or two prior we went to the infamous Pakwan which we all know and love, but this night it was extremeley packed. As we were walking I told my friend that I read a review that said they didn't wash their silverware...ewww. So we opted for Alhamra. We sadly glanced at Pakwan, and moved 1 block up to Alhamra.
On this particular Wednesday night Alhamra was not too packed except for one big party and a few other diners. We were seated right away at a nice clean big table. We looked over the menu and decided what we were getting. Mmm Chicken Tikka Masala, rice, naan, and a cauliflower/potatoe dish can't quite remember the Indian name for that....oh well sue me why dontcha. Oh wait... I remember.. yes, it is Aloo Gobhi. Although we couldn't go to Pakwan, we decided that our food here at Alhamra would be of better quality and that we would be eating with clean silverware haha. The food took a little longer than expected, but we were in no rush since we were dancing in our seats to some hot Pakistani tunes that was playing on a late 90s boom box haha.
The Chicken Tikka Masala is always yummy and the naan was delish. My vegetarian dish was yum, but a little too spicy. The rice was amazing. Amazing! Soon, my friend and I were stuffed and waiting for the check. The check never came so we soon sunk into what we call a "Food Coma" you know (slang term for the lethargic state induced by overindulgence in carbohydrate- laden food). So of course I was full, but for some reason I was in a trance like state of euphoria so I continued eating the naan. My friend was laughing because she knew I was completely full, but continued to eat. Finally I snapped out and said "where is our check." We are never getting our check. So we asked our waiter if we could get our check. He said, FINE OK. We were like huh? The good thing about this place is that our check came to like $15.40 or something like that. Pretty sweet deal!!! Not only did we have great food, but we also sunk into food comas, not to mention the Pakistani music.
So if you want cheap and tastey Indian food, then I suggest you go to Alhamra, well that is only if Pakwan is packed. Although Pakwan might not wash their silverware I will still take my chances eating there. However, Alhamra comes in a close second. I will definitley come back here for seconds.
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The food is great and cheap and the service is slow and irritating. The interior is bland but cleanish. I have never seen it crowded either but I found the food pretty great for the price. I got tandoori chicken, Dal masala, nan and my friend had tikka masala. I recommend all of them. probably more of a 3 1/2 restaurant but whatever... it's good.
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Yay! Good cheap Indian that delivers! Life is good...Not sure where the bad reviews are coming from; we've ordered in twice in the past few weeks and everyone was surprised and delighted with the food. I've given up on saag paneer in recent years, but a friend ordered it, and it actually looked and tasted like spinach! Yum. In general, it's on the spicy side, but their naan is generously sized so it works out perfectly.
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I love this place. The first time my brother and I went, we was like let's try something different. The first time we ate there has left an lasting impression on us. I tried almost everything on the menu. I have my favorites such as, Chicken Tikka Masala, Lamb curry, beef curray, chicken curray, shrimp sagwala, rice, and the sweet nan. The food is made to order, which means its fresh and very delicious. I just can't order one or two items. I have to order half the menu, because I love to taste everything. You can request how spicy you like your food. As for me, I like spicy. I love the fact that they advertise that its halal. So, no pork and no alcohol.
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If you like 10 alarm spicy food like I do then Al Hamra is the spot. Everything from the Chicken Tikka to the Lamb Dhal is great and even some of the out standing special special they have. This weekend I had the Chicken Komra and wow! Who would have thought fire roasted tomatoes and spcice could be so good. Oh I always get the sweet nan and the garlic nan they are just to die for. The sweet nan is kind of like dessert in a way. If you haven't had it check it out. Eating there is cool but I normally get it to go because it hard to find parking some nights.
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Slow delivery, shitty food. Haven't eaten in the restaurant but why would I after that meal? Keep walking, Pakwan's on the right.
They have been off lately. This used to be THE place we would order from when we felt like treating ourselves to some delicious and bad for you food....
but the masala was watery, the spinch is way too greasy and the bread was cold.
The delivery times have doubled as well... let's not turn into the hell that is Zante!
Man oh man I miss my slightly above average, tasty, quick Tandoori.
Got delivery from here on a saturday evening... they said it'd take 40 minutes from mission to the house in castro, but it took much shorter. maybe 15, 20 min. so that was good... the food was not good. the mango lassis were just ick. small and ick. i had a lamb korma and it was just soupy and not great. but better than jesse's spicy lamb thing, which wasnt spicy at all. nothing was spicy. his was just oily and water. the good thing was.... the naan. big, yummy naan. so eat naan and good service, but otherwise skip this place i'd not go back. i cant say how the eat in dinner might be.
Stopped in here with my father and a friend. It was Dad's first Indian food. Pretty easy, though, since it is basically meat in sauce, variously spicy. Family-style, we shared lamb, chicken, and beef in different dishes with rice and nan.
The lamb and the chicken--the meats themselves--were especially delicious. The food was spicy enough to get us sweating, but not uncomfortably so. The mango lassis were tasty. The garlic nan didn't impress anybody.
The service was decent, but it would have been nice if I didn't have to walk up to the counter to get a second pitcher of water. At any rate, they get an extra star because that meat was just sooo dang tasty! I figure this is a "nicer" "full service" alternative to Pakwan.
Free Delivery.
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This food is spicy! I was warned so my friend and I ordered mild which I would say is medium on most scales. We ordered Nan, Chana Masala, Saag Paneer and Chicken Tikka Masala. I would say the food is so so, but dipping Nan into the Tikka Masala sauce while watching the premier of ANTM was amazing. And delivery only took twenty minutes...doorbell rang while Tyra was making an ass out of herself~sigh. Remember the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air? She tricked us.
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This places serves up big fat pieces of naan, tasty samosas...and unfortunately watery curry. Quality was on par with the naan-n-curry's in the city...except that they deliver.
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If you ever want to try some decent Indian food on the way cheap, try Al Hambra in the Mission at 16th & Mission, next to Esta Noche. I recommend Chicken Boti Tikka (chicken cooked on a skewer served over chopped and lightly grilled onions). Get some Naan Bread, whatever sounds enticing to you, and some rice of course. I usually try at least one veggie curry dish, maybe something with peas and potatoes (Saag Paneer?). Al Hambra lacks in decor and the restroom for the guys is the smallest I've ever seen (no joke), but the price is right. And I think they let you bring your own alcohol since they don't serve it themselves.
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I don't understand why anyone would say anything bad about the food. Yes, the service and the ambiance BLOW but for carry out and/or delivery Indian, there isn't a place in the Mission that can touch it. For Indian, it's cheap, and it's really really good - spicy for some, I imagine, but not crazy - and you can ask for it mild. Just be patient with the slackers behind the counter and you will come out satisfied.
-1 star: Chicken tikka does indeed taste like melted Nacho cheez sauce from 7-11.
-1 star: service is so bad that I'm amazed people wait to pay the bill instead of walking out.
+1 star: Lamb chops are tasty and relatively cheap.
+1 star: BYOB with cheap liquor store nearby.
+1 star: They don't bat an eye if you bring in bourbon and begin passing it around while drinking it straight from the bottle, and drunken diners fall ass over teakettle on the carpet.
If you think Taqueria CanCun == great mexican food, you will think Alhamra == great indian food. If you think cancun deep fries its meat in used motor oil, you will probably think the same of Alhamra's sauces.
Hrm, it's funny, reading all these reviews and noticing the huge difference in interpretation of what Indian Food should taste. Depending on one's palate, tolerance to spice, and how this type of food was introduced to you from the beginning, you're either going to really like it...or you're just going to be disgusted. I give it a 4 stars based on convenience, my budget, and really, it's quite tasty for the price. Perhaps I went during a good time. Who knows. I've tried Pakwan before which is also just as outstanding but in a different way. I think Pakwan tailors to more of the "American" palate
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Alhamra has turned into so much of a disappointment I've been moved to the point of actually letting people know. We used to love this place, great channa masala, and saag paneer that made my wife hungry just thinking about it. To top it all off, they deliver to our house.
Well, not anymore. I don't know if they've gone through a change in ownership, a mid-life crisis, or if they are just angry at the world, but they're food and service is abysmal.
Last night it took 2 hours for a delivery, during which the owner hung up on me twice when I call to ask about it. So, with 6 people foolishly waiting to eat we accepted the order when it finally arrived only to realize the entire order wasn't there. But they did include utensils - one fork. WTH?
Of course, when I called back to complain about the order, guess what happened. You got it. Hang up number three.
At the end of the day, I might have been able to overlook the delivery fiasco if the food was as good as it used to be, but unfortunately it wasn't anywhere close.
Avoid Alhamra. If you randomly pick any curry house in the city you're bound to have a better experience.
This is really Pakistani food. Generously sized Tandoori lunch special is inexpensive at $7.50 and gets you the Tandoori special, good sized juicy 1/2 chicken and a merghez sausage cooked in the clay oven.
The chicken was succulent and flavorful. The merghez sausage was tender and flavorful too. Two large pieces of Naan and a big serving of basmati rice are included. I could not finish the food; two people could enjoy a hearty spicy meal for little cash. Kinda smoky but a good deal. Cool indian/paki music in the background. Just tried: Tandoori Fish , cooked in the clay oven till yummy, they use a sweet tasting fish. comes with a side of basmati rice and get your paws on a hot piece of home baked Naan.
I'm looking forward to returning.
For some reason I insist on calling this place "Al Hambra" -- the b just makes it better -- so if you've heard me talking about this place, don't get confused just because I have creative ideas on what the names of restaurants should actually be.
I love Indian food, preferably when it is yummy and cheap. Al Hambra is both of these things -- seriously four people can eat here for under $20. I am tempted to go in here every time I walk by it, which is every day, at least twice a day, on my way to BART.
Go there.
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The food is absolutely terrific.
The delivery service is absolutely inept. 2 hours to deliver food 15 blocks?
We always order delivery Indian food from here, and while it may not be the end-all, be-all of Indian/Pakistani food joints, it does the job well and cheaply. Sometimes they take a while to make it all the way out to Glen Park, but they do make it.
Anything saag (spinach) is good, less creamy than at other places. The bengan bharta's creaminess varies but is always tasty. Good naan. Chicken tikka masala is good, although I don't order it much -- so much cream. (Do you sense a cream theme to this review?)
Always a good option.
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food is great!!!!!!!!!
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THE BEST INDIAN IN THE CITY!!! I came back from London a year ago from vacation with a major, newly found, taste for Indian; so I looked all over the city and found this "hole in the wall" in between a cafe and a night club on 16th by work. It is sooo good and the owner is a very nice guy... Many down to earth but sometimes yuppyish people regularly eat here so it's always a mellow crowd.
My friends, parents, and some family pick up once or twice a week and always get the same thing.. Chicken tikka masala, aloo(potato) nan, and basmatti rice and it NEVER gets old. It's like a treat every time we get it and whenever i'm hungry and think of it my mouth waters and I start calling people to see who wants some. Also they are open till 11 so if you need a late fix of indian enjoy.
I must HIGHLY recommend the CHICKEN TIKKA MASALA with POTATO NAN - TO DIP, trust me it is like "edible crack" as someone likes to say... You won't be disappointed!
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