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Categories: Indian, Pakistani [Edit]
Neighborhood: Nob HillWe'll feed the entire office! Our special includes: butter chicken, curry (lamb/beef), 2 vegetables, rice, naan, somosa, papadam, + pakora.
Mon-Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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This is the best Indian food restaurant I have ever been to. Great prices, perfect size portions, and AMAZING FOOD. The staff is friendly and attentive. I love the prawn masala (only $8.99 for FRESH prawns!), naan, and samosas.
I do not have much to say about Darbar as I am no Indian food connoisseur. I had take out on Sunday night and it really hit the spot. The onion and garlic naan were both great and I liked the palak paneer a lot. They could've grounded up the spices a little better, though. When I got to the bottom I was eating whole seeds. We had 2 chicken dishes - 1 tikka masala, not sure about the other. I liked both but I'm not THAT into Indian chicken, in general. I'd like to try some more vegetarian dishes from here for sure.
And, of course, I am always a lover of a good samosa and they did not disappoint. It doesn't hurt that the food is pretty inexpensive (although fatty and full of butter so watch out! - but that's what makes it taste so good!) Last but not least, make sure you order lots of naan to soak up your yummy curry.
I waited an hour for lunch in an empty restaurant. I came in around noontime for a takeout order of fish tandoori, rice, and naan. The restaurant wasn't very full - maybe about 12 people in the restaurant, and I was told it would be about a 10-15 minute wait.
I sat and waited until I noticed my order was taking a while. I checked with the waitress a few times to check on the status of my food (me asking her, but her never bothering to check on me) and each time she said my order would be ready soon. The wait turned into one hour despite there not being anyone in the restaurant and many of the people actually going to eat at their already-prepared buffet.
After being fed up with waiting so long, I was about to go up to the cashier to ask for my money back when she suddenly handed my food. She explained the food took 60 minutes to prepare because that "large" party of 8 was consuming so much time. Obviously, I thought their customer service was one of the worst I've ever experienced.
I can't comment on the food, as at that point I'd lost my appetite and handed my order to a nearby homeless person.
Cheap, bland, Indian buffet with deplorable customer service.
Only recommended if you've just stumbled out of Hemlock and just can't do another slice of pizza.
Don't have a lot of nice things to say about Darbar, so I'll keep it short:
- Delivery took over 2 hours. Every time we called them for a status update, they would say the food was "on the way".
- Everything was drenched in oil. My arteries clogged after the first bite.
- A plus: it was super, ridiculously cheap.
The first time I came, we got Chicken Tiki Masala with Rice, Nan, Aloo Gobi, and Lamb Curry. The Tiki Masala was probably the best dish out of all of what we ordered. The food was pretty good. But the second time we came, it was for the lunch buffet (which is ~$9 w/ tip/tax) and that was just not good at all! I mean, I guess going in we all knew that it couldn't be THAT good if we were paying less than 10 dollars for all you can eat indian food, but we also didn't anticipate having stomach aches for the rest of the day. If you come here, just order dishes -- the buffet just isn't worth it.
The first time I came, we got Chicken Tiki Masala with Rice, Nan, Aloo Gobi, and Lamb Curry. The Tiki Masala was probably the best dish out of all of what we ordered. The food was actually good - so good, we decided to come back for the lunch buffet (which is ~$9 w/ tip/tax). AND UMM, totally shouldn't have done that because it just was off.... There was something that resembled tiki masala (but not), and a green pea dish and some kind of curry...man, it just didn't taste right! But the desert pudding was alright. I mean, I guess going in we all knew that it couldn't be THAT good if we were paying less than 10 dollars for all you can eat indian food, but we also didn't anticipate having stomach aches for the rest of the day! If you come here, just order dishes -- the buffet just isn't worth it.
Wed. night dinner w/ 2 friends (one Indian, other half Indian).
Ordered:
Bangan Bartha - had more potatoes and peas than eggplant, not very hot nor flavorful
Vegetable Korma - creamy sauce and had lots of potential but came out lukewarm
Garlic Naan - good, piping hot
Roti - also piping hot but comes with butter already on it (in case you are vegan and needed that info)
Veggie Biryani - I didn't eat this but my friend said it was just "meh"
Mango lassi - definitely not made w fresh ingredients, but tasty anyway because it's a mango lassi
I will say their service was fine but did have one shining moment. Since one friend is vegan, he couldn't eat the roti (which he ordered) because of the butter. The waiter gave us a fresh order of roti w/o butter and didn't charge us. Thanks!
I likely won't be coming back here since there are other places to get good (hot!) Indian food.
This review is for the buffet, which is the only thing I've tried here. It's small as other reviewers have commented...but your stomach generally has the same amount of room, regardless.
Two of the dishes always seem to be tandoori chicken and tikka masala. The other meat dish has been either goat, lamb, or beef...I love it when they have goat because I don't see that very often! Then there's a few vegetable dishes, lentil wafers, and the usual suspects (naan, salad, rice pudding, chai.) Beware of the tikka masala...that can mess up your stomach (same goes for it at most restaurants, but especially here!) The first few times after eating here my stomach got messed up, but I figured out it was from that so I've avoided it since then and been fine... haha. Everything else is normal greasy, meaning greasy not too greasy. I think they use ghee, and the nice thing is it does separate so you can avoid a good portion of the grease if you don't want it. P (For others of us, fat = flavor.)
The food does seem to be of good quality. It is a little on the blander side but that's fine, no salt overdose. I saw them bring out small portions and refill the bins multiple times, even at 2:30 PM. $7.99 is a killer price too.
Good, cheap Indian place when I don't want to spend the extra money on delivery from Mehfil. The wraps are an easy and delicious cop out when I can't decide between paneer and daal.
Wow, this place has gone down hill. Jennifer P, Vik P and I used to LOVE this place, but wow... it's lost its sizzle.
Last night, we ordered 3 dishes, including my always favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. None of them were good at all. I never thought I'd *ever* have to add salt to an Indian or south Asian dish *in* *my* *entire* *life.*
The service was ok, but we actually had to ask for more water, since the carafe went dry. I'd say it was ok service over all. That's not a fatal flaw to me.
The saving grace was the veggie samosas that we started with, and the regular naan, which was just perfectly crispy on the outside and gently fluffy on the inside.
* * * * *
After much thought, we think that this place must be under new management. They put totally wrong vegetables in the two other main curries we ordered. WTF? It's almost as if some white Americans are running the kitchen. The curries were either bland, needing salt, or ...ugh. I don't know. The entire dinner was so MEH...
This is very disappointing after such a run of tastiness.
Darbar is your standard, decent Northern Indian fare with a few Pakistani selections thrown randomly into the menu; Well seasoned but never spicy enough for me. Just because I'm not Indian, doesn't mean I don't like my spice!
I used to order from them quite often because they delivered and I was homesick for some Indian (Little India in Los Angeles was 5 minutes from my folk's house so I grew up eating the cuisine). I was usually sharing my order with people not familiar with the cuisine so I would order typical dishes such as chicken tika masala, samosas, lamb rice, naan (plain and garlic), different veggie dishes, and of course some mango lassis. Nothing was terrible, but nothing stood out either besides their delicious and flavorful lamb rice.
Delivery was always pretty prompt and the delivery guys were really nice.
I would suggest this place to take people unfamiliar with Indian cuisine. All the newbies I introduced it to, loved it.
From a 1-star restaurant [the place next door] to 5-star rating restaurant...
After my horrible experience at Pho Vietnam, I needed a meal that would satisfy my hunger! Second day of painting, my sis and I were craving for Indian food! We ordered the Chicken Tiki Masala, Gobi Aloo, and Garlic Naan. I liked the creamy, buttery taste of the masala. One of the best I've ever had! I liked that the cauliflower were in whole pieces and was not cooked until they were tidbits. I really love that they oiled the naan, tho it was rather small... It's okay cuz we simply ordered another one!
Tiny little place, but so worth coming here! They are welcoming and super nice! I liked the fact that our server came by several times to make sure we were okay. Now... that does not happen often when I dine at other Indian restaurants. We spent less money here too... also walked out with satisfied and FULL BELLIES! I will be back... and I'm going to bring my friends with me!
After a day of hitting up the shopping area and fighting the nordstrom semi-annual sale, we were starving from some good food. Since we anticipated on hitting up the bars on polk, we decided to eat at darbar.
The entrance was not what I expected, with some doric-like columns. The narrow restaurant's walls were covered in a painting and there were only tables lined up along the walls. We were seated in the back.
Three of four of us ordered the standard default, the chicken tiki marsala, with a side of garlic and onion naan and rice for the four of us to share.
The sauce was delicioussss. The chicken was tender and moist, not like most of the chicken i've experienced. Naan was pretty fluffy and the rice was good with the sauce.
Service was good, price wasnt bad and food was great. We also saw some nice sizzling food in the table next to us. We'll definitely be back to try again.
My experience here for vegetarian options led much higher expectations than the place across the street. A little more dressy (enough for a date night) and affordable for a night out, I would say stick to that and the great mango lassi.
This is just about the best Indian food I've had. It's low priced, and the place is non-judgemental. Best of all, the food is fantastic.
I hate Dosa because it's overpriced and doesn't have authentic food. Egg and Cheese Dosa? Please.
Although Darbar has some unconventional foods, like a Naan wrap, their food still retains the authentic feel of perfectly blended spices. The Naan is among the best I've ever had, if not THE best.
The price can not be beat. Dinner for two including lots of naan, two entrees, and two appetizers was around $24.
It's a low-priced and modestly housed Indian joint, but for what it is, it's the best in class that I've found. Indian friends swear by Shalimar ("BRING ME SOME BRAIN MASALA--THEY HAVE IT ON MONDAYS!"), but I think this place beats Shalimar. It also beats Naan 'n' Curry and BY FAR beats Chutney's (which I oughta review next, so I can remark about the Campbell's Tomato Soup that they try to pass off as curry there).
At Darbar, I usually I get the chicken tikka masala, and it never disappoints. But neither does anything else I get.
Ordered food for delivery at 7:00 on a Sunday evening. I was told it would be an hour, which was fine. It ended up being almost two hours before the delivery guy showed up. I didn't hate on him, because hey, he's just the driver, that's what yelp is for.
I was super excited for the food, even though it took so long to arrive. We opened up the packages to find that everything was cold, and the sauces had separated into a layer of oil and a layer of non-oil. Our beef dish was supposed to be "highly recommended by the chef" according to the website, but had so much gristle we didn't eat it.
This review is only based on one (admittedly quite bad) experience, so take it with a grain of salt. Maybe they had the B-team working Sunday night?
Been here several times and finally am reviewing it!
Great neighborhood place. Always friendly service and the food is flavorful and inexpensive. A recent dinner for two: samosa appetizer, 2 iced teas, two vegetarian entrees, garlic naan and a vegetable rice dish = $30 before tip. More food than we could finish! Can't go wrong! I like Darbar better than Shalimar across the street because it's got a better atmosphere and you get waiter service rather than the cafeteria style/super bright lights at Shalimar. My only critique is that it's cash only (but ATM is on premises if you get caught unprepared) and they took away the BYOB policy. (no alcohol served). Give it a shot next time your naan and spice craving kicks in.
My daughter and I enjoy eating Indian/Pakistiani food. Many of the dishes are delicous and tasty, but the portions are so tiny (good enough for my daughter, but not me). For example, my favorite dish-the Chicken Tikka Masala from an unknown restaurant, you get only "six" pieces of boneless chicken meat with a ton of sauce for $10.00. That little dish isn't enough to satisfy a high-volume eater like myself.
In terms of big eaters, I may not be in the same competitive eating class as San Jose's-own Joey Chestnut or his eating-rival Kobayashi, now I have found a buffet that serve the Indian/Pakistani cuisine that is close to my crib and I can leave happily full and contented. Despite the fact, Shalimar, which is also one of my favorites, located right across the street.
For $7.99 per person, the buffet selection is small. But they go quick and the workers continously bringing out new batches when needed. You can tell everything is fresh instead of staying in the cooker all-day. You also get salad, Darbari Kheer (rice pudding), and Chai-tea as part of the buffet package.
The selection changes daily. And our visit, the buffet cooker had:
-Vegetarian Samosas
-Tandoori Chicken
-Chicken Tikka Masala (I loaded up for my tummy)
-Lahori Choley (Chick peas in a "SPICY" sauce)
-Naan
-Basmati Rice
My daughter also got a refreshing glass of Mango Lassi (smoothie) for $2.00. She actually enjoyed the mango puree drink.
The staffs were really friendly and assisted our needs when needed.
Credit cards are accepted. And this restaurant is also a favorite of Yelp, with the sticker on the glass counter.
Hmm.... yeah, Darbar is ok.
We had:
Garlic Naan- a little bit pizza crust-ish
Tandoori Chicken- YES!
Tandoori Fish- YES!!
Palak Paneer- very spicy and rich- delish
Chicken Korma- so/so
Samosas- ok
Nothing to complain about in terms of the food. The vibe in there was awkward though, dude.
Love this place!!! The vegetarian Samosas are to die for!!! Yummy!! Try the chicken darbar wraps. (that's what they're known for!) It's essentially the Indian version of a burrito/gyro thing. Love it!!! The service is very friendly here and they are located right on busy Polk.
The Mango Lassi is nice and refreshing if you just want something light and fresh.
Wanted something quick and tasty, and the manfriend and I were both craving Indian food. I placed an order with a very nice man on the phone who was efficient and repeated back our order to ensure that everything was accurate. He quoted us a 45 minute delivery time.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to know anything about Indian food, except that I like it, so I have no idea whether something is "authentic" or "real Indian food"-- I just know if it is tasty.
30 minutes later, the food arrived with another very nice man. We ordered:
Vegetarian Samosas-- even my veggie-hating manfriend loved these. 5/5
Chicken Tikka Masala-- tasty. 4/5
Daal Makhani-- had higher hopes for this, and I really didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to. 2.5/5
Darbari Naan and Garlic Nann-- delish! 4/5
We will definitely order from here again, and will probably stop by to try the lunch buffet, too.
My "passion " restaurant of the moment. The lunch buffet is amazing. On the buffet table you will find:
*papadum served with 4 sauces
*dal..the best I've ever had
*multi colored rice
*The best Tandoori chicken ever
*chick pea fritters
*curried beef..(so -so)
*chicken tikka masala
*spicy cauliflower and potato..unbeleivably yum
*tender luscious naan
*fresh red onion, tomato and cucumber
*rice pudding for dessert
*all the chai you can drink served from a huge dispenser
*they put a large carafe of water and lemons on your table
All for $7.99....that's right....all for $7.99. The food is fantastic. The price is right. I am a huge fan of this place.
As has been said many times already, the luncheon special is really wonderful. It's a buffet style so you can pick and choose what items you like. I'm finding myself suggesting this place to friends and family all the time. I usually go for lunch which is not only a bargain but is so good. I like the chick pea fritters and Tandoori chicken but pretty much everything on the buffet is worth having, including the dal. If you don't like buffet, I still suggest you try this place for dinner because the food is great.
Thanks to Darbar. One of my favorites in this neighborhood.
I have ordered takeout/delivery from here on three separate occasions, and it has always been delicious. They are always friendly, even when busy, and the food is so good. The rice is the best I've ever had, delicate and flavorful, and they do lamb like nowhere I've ever been!
Ouch. Has this place changed management? I'm not even going to describe the food...just don't go. There are better Indian/Pakistani options in the city.
I had been here a few years back when I lived in this area. Couldn't remember what I had tried but remember it being sooo good. Prices are unbelieveable. And, the portion size is huge.
We tried three dishes, Rice and Naan.
Our server explained that there are two things you must have with the food. Basmati Rice and Naan. On his advice we ordered the Basmati rice (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) cooked with cumin and saffron. It went so well with all the dishe Chicken Tikka Masala. The butter cream sauce was soaked up in turn with the tasty Darbari Paratha Naan. This Naan (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) was stuffed with potatoes and spices. Yummm! It was also delightful poured over the Basmati rice.
The Tandoori Prawns (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) and the Tandoori Murgh Boti (chicken), (http://www.yelp.com/bi...) came out sizzling from the charcoal fired clay oven. You could hear it sizzling as it made its way to our table soooo hott!!! Each was marinated with herbs and spices as well as sweet onions that were beginning to carmelize on the sizzling platter. I couldn't believe how big these plates were and how cheap the prices were.
We were offered complimentary hot tea as we sat there in a food coma. We were stuffed! Under 35 bucks for 3 entrees, 2 plates of rice and Naan. I'm going back for sure!
I grabbed a to-go menu and it mentions that they also have a daily lunch buffet open style/all you can eat for $7.99!!??? It includes 10 courses of food, appetizers, 3 meat dishes, 3 vegetarian dishes, tandoori naan, rice, salad, dessert and tea. M-F 11:30-3pm and Sat/Sun 12-3. Coming back for that!!! Bet on it!
Gotta love the Nob Hill !!!
Went to the lunch buffet. There wasn't much of a selection: Goat, Chicken Tandoori, cauliflower, salad, rice, puffy naan, cream chicken(a bit too heavy), salad (standard: lettuce and tomato) , rice pudding (lots of evaporated milk), and chai (nice and smooth). I liked the goat (reminds me of stew) and the chai with the naan. If you are lucky, the naan would come out fresh. It doesn't taste good once it sits out too long. My friend said there was no flavor to their food. Afterwards, she noticed her hands were stained with the curry sauce? Look for the black awning instead of the yellow.
super-duper flavorful, perfectly spiced, cheap, friendly waiters & all the food makes your stomach really happy. :D
my friends and i got 4 excellent-tasting indian dishes and did some family-style action.
1) korma curry with lamb
2) chicken tikka masala
3) palak paneer (awesome for vegetarians!)
4) aloo gobi (this too for vegetarians!)
ALSO...
eat it with regular or garlic naan with their yummy colored rice!!!
still curious? take a look at my pictures. :D
the nice thing about this place is that they give complimentary milk tea. just add teaspoons of sugar & your entire meal is complete to satisfaction! =P
AND...
the waiters were consistent, super-friendly & also checked up on us if our meals were good or not.
if you come here, expect to walk out smelling like awesome indian food!
awwww...j-yeahhhh!
Veggie samosas, check.
Chicken tikka, check.
Baigan bharta, check.
Garlic naan, check.
Darbar chicken wrap, check.
Nihari (beef), check-minus (tasty and spicy, but a little too oily).
Questionable Waiter-on-Wheels service, check.
So, a buddy from Yemen brings in a tray of chix briyani to a pot luck. He specifically asked them to tone down the spice, because not everyone likes spicy. That said, it kicked my ass. I'm thinking, "I gotta check this place out."
So, fast forward two weeks and I walk in for a lunch buffett. A couple of bites into the meal, it was like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You would never know that the briyani was made by the same people. Is there some code of authenticity that's only known to a few?
I have a feeling that these guys KNOW how to make the real deal but WON'T. Is it out of fear that the American palette won't appreciate it? Or maybe just knowledge that came from experience?
Yay! Ever since Star India burned to the ground in a tragic fire, I've missed my weekly Polk Street ritual of indulging in a tasty all-you-can-eat Indian lunch buffet. No longer. Resurrection has arrived in Darbar.
$7.99 is your entry to the table. Fresh, varied and deee to the licious! The spice level was a welcome two to three notches up from Star India. The buffet was routinely replenished and kept spotlessly clean. Naan - warm and soft, rice - fluffy, daal - fabulously fragrant, tandoori chicken - lightly smoky and juicy, very nice version of chicken tikka masala, on and on. You get the idea. Oh yes - the best rice pudding I've had in an Indian restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed the small bowl I had with my (included) chai as a sweet finale to my new found feast.
As the saying goes, when one door closes another door opens. I'll be knocking on Darbar's door frequently. Once a week even.
For me there are two things that cure a hangover...the first is McDonald's sausage egg mcmuffin...and the second is indian food.
Sunday i woke up with my tounge glued to the roof of my mouth. I thought a cat had crapped in my mouth when i was asleep...but rolled over with a headache the size of Jessica Simpson's thighs. (ok that was just mean!)
i got up...drank some gatorade..went back to bed...woke up later in the afternoon...dang, too late for McDonald's...
Luckily this place is only a few blocks from my house. I kinda stumbled down polk street half conscious till i got there. Hey, its polk street..no one noticed...
Anyway..the lunch buffet here is a life saver. Its just greasy enough to make my stomach feel better and spicey enough to clear my head.
And at $7.99 its a very inexpenise hangover remedy!
Oh, the best part is the dessert....i am not sure what all is in it...its like rice pudding with tapioca or something..not sure (if you know, fill me in!)
I take away one star because they don't have a wide variety of dishes.
and even though the wait staff is really friendly ( why do they even have waiters at a buffet???) the woman i assume the owner that worked behind the counter wasnt friendly at all...she took my check and my money and didnt even greet me or thank me...if the food wasnt soo good and the location so close I probably wouldnt be back because of this..but sometimes i cant let pride get in the way of a hangover.
So glad to have stumbled into this place after hitting the gym with my b/f.
I was a little wary of Indian food on Polk St. after my sub par experiences at Shalimar and Indian Aroma, but Darbar was a refreshing find on a street filled with endless food choices.
We ordered the lamb vindaloo and the chicken tikka masala. The lamb was perfectly tender & spicy, just the way I like it. And the chicken tikka masala was creamy. It doesn't taste like chicken tikka masala like I normally have it, but it was still good, and I even liked the chicken. My favorite part of the meal was the naan. The naan is bleh at most Indian places I've eaten at, but here it was buttery & crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. Almost perfect, except that it was a little burnt.
We were definitely happy and satisfied with our meal. $22 bucks including tip. :D
7.99 for an Indian buffet is a good deal in San Francisco these days. Personally, I like the fact that the number of options is limited. Not sure what it means, but somehow 60 items is a turnoff. Darbar does about 6 per day.
I've been twice. Tummy ache once, smooth sailing today.
Two stars because the food was pretty cheap (considering Indian food can be pretty pricy) but I've had wayyy better. The only think I really enjoyed was the naan. The butter chicken was VERY oily and the matar paneer had no flavor. Veg samosas were "OK".
Can't beat the $7.99 lunch buffet. I was fortunate to be graced with the presence of chicken makhani, goat korma curry, and of course the tandoori chicken.
Tandoori chicken was only aight, I've had better. But the chicken makhani and the goat korma curry were fantastic.
Food was fresh and plentiful. Although I got several strange looks from the staff, overall they were friendly and cordial. The strange looks were more of amusement and worrisome stares as I went for a 3rd and a 4th plate.
I would definitely go back.
For $8.50 (after tax) for lunch, you can't beat that. I've eaten there twice this week. I'm hooked. The lady owner there is really nice too.
Easy to miss if you are walking south. Its directly across from another Indian/Pakistani restaurant.
Will eat again.
Darbar is certainly tasty, but a bit too oily for my personal taste. The dishes also seemed to be mostly sauce (read: ghee) with little meat/vegetables to be found. The best thing is its so dirt cheap you can get a little of everything and really try things out. It's mostly traditional Pakistan/Indian food and as far as I could tell it was all Halal (which unfortunately for this thirsty reviewer means no alcohol). The Nan was especially tasty and fresh, and the sizzling Tandori makes for nice presentation. The biggest fault with this place is the drab decor and silent uncomfortable ambiance.
I might go again, but would get takeout.
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Nob Hill
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Civic Center/Tenderloin
Category: Indian
Neighborhood: Pacific Heights
Category: Indian
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