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Tue-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
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Am I in India or am I in... Fresno....??? This restaurant has the BEST Indian food I have had outside India! No joke! Me and Indian food have a "special" relationship so I should know! The dishes are made fresh and very reasonable priced. The menu is quite extensive and features both North and South Indian cuisine.
There are only two bad things to say about this restaurant:
1) They're in Fresno.
2) I dont feel like eating Indian food anywhere in SF after eating here.
:)
Having spent 29 years living in England, I feel that I know my curry fairly well. We would eat at an Indian restaurant every other week or so and lived in Cambridge (UK) where there were some supremely tasty dinners to be found
Since moving to the US however, I've generally been disappointed with the standard of Indian food here - I find that it seems to tend to the American palette a little more and it misses out on the variety and the tastes I grew up on. There have been exceptions to this - Marsala Dosa's over here are to die for and I will happily eat a million of these before passing out in a gutter.
Anyway, on to the review. Mehek Punjab de lifted my opinion of Indian food in the US to equal or possibly better than the UK. Strong words indeed. All the food was so tasty - we had the dosa, the 5 veg curry, a Thali, the somosa and something mashed potato based on the side with a 'combination naan'. I can't begin to discuss the naan without drooling - not your usual stodgy naan but instead a almost pancake light texture filled with a perfect mixture of onions, garlic and coriander. Total for 3 of us with more food that we should have ordered came to 35$ after tax (including a lassi and 2 soft drinks). All the food was unique in flavor and cooked so well that I almost passed out twice with excitement. Seriously better sauces and selection of dishes that the average UK curry house (where they tend to have a set of stock sauces and mix them to make different dishes).
I found this place by looking at yelp for the best reviewed place in Fresno and I'm very happy to have driven from my hotel for 30 mins to get to this place.
This place doesn't serve alcohol which was fine by me (more room for food!) and shockingly, it was only after I'd left that I realized that its a vegetarian menu with not a scrap of meat to be found. That is a sign of a great meal and if I didn't live 3 hours away in San Fran, I would have been back within the week already.
Go here - you will not regret it for a minute.
The other reviewers were right, the best Saab I've ever had. and the Masala Dosa was good too. Plain and Garlic Naan were scrumptious. As a meatasaurous,
I gotta admit that the absence of meat doesn't hinder the eating experience here. In fact, most of the Indian dishes I like the best seem to be vegetarian. I'm just glad that the curd cheese isn't at there level of vegetarianism.
Prices are very fair, and the portions are ample.
Also, when you order spicy here, you get spicy. Nice!
I really need to bring my Punjabi friend from work here to see what see thinks...
Our family moved to Fresno recently. today we went to Mehek Punjab for lunch after our church service. We were all pleasantly surprised by the quality and the tastiness of what we ordered. Unbelievable but true. I am a vegetarian and am always looking for restaurants that don't serve only meat as protein. Here we have a wonderful cuisine of lentils, beans, chickpeas ( all wonderful sources of non-fat protein) and lots of vegetables with tasty curry.
we had the five veg curry sauce and the potato and cauliflower entree and great flavor and spice.
I had eaten Indian food in Palo Alto and the Bay Area and had paid twice what this wonderfully healthy meal cost.
The bottom line is if you do not expect fancy tablecloths and napkins and waiters attired in regalia costumes and enjoy simple but elegant place with good service and reasonable prices then my family recommends Mehek to locals in Fresno as well as visitors coming here out of town.
This place has amazing food--and I am Indian so I have had a lot of Indian food. And, to top it off, it is not pricey at all. The decor is very nice and I love that they use the authentic metal plates like the ones my grandmother used to have in her house. I am so proud that Fresno has such a great restaurant. The masala dosa rivals the one I had in an upscale restaurant in Manhattan. All the breads are great--I love the bhuttura--it is a thicker richer puri bread. The mango lassi is great--but very filling so split one so you have an appetite for all the yummy food.
The best vegetarian Indian food in California!
We live in the Bay Area and we love vegetarian Indian food so our standard is pretty high. However, Mehek Pujab is the best.
Thanks for fellow Yelpers we found this place. Able to find places like this is what Yelp is all about!
Everything is great! The price is extremely reasonable. We had 2 drink, garlic naan, and 2 dishes and rice. The whole thing only cost us $23 and we had plenty to take home after the meal.
the garlic naan is awesome. we took some home and it taste every better the next day!
The mango lassi is great. we also love the Masala Dosa.
This is a must go in Fresno.
I read the reviews here and went there today. Everything that has been said is true and so much more. My wife and I ate there for 19 bucks pre-tip and we ate like royalty.
Two orders of the best garlic naan I've had anywhere (and I've had them everywhere).
$1.99 (are you freaking kidding me?) for a 32 ounce fresh squeezed mango juice or orange juice. Something has to be wrong there.
$7.25 dinner special included a small salad, 3 curries, 2 of those tortilla-thingies, yogurt, raita, and rice. Already has to be Fresno's best "bang for the buck."
Phenomenally fresh sweets in the glass case in front.
Exquisite chutneys (mmmm... tamarind and mint) included.
Loved the huge steel cups that kept the water ice cold even without ice.
Dining room and restrooms were spotlessly clean. Service was impeccable, friendly, unhurried, and helpful.
Hurry up and go there before the owners come to their senses.
I have to agree with the other 19 reviewers that this is "the one" and the "only one" punjabi "dhabba" for mile and miles around. I made a detour to Fresno (while traveling between SD & SF this weekend) after reading about this place and a strong urge for some home cooked punjabi food.
Their BHINDIYAN really really impressed my wife, the daal and naans and a full bowl of dahi were perfect for the kids. We also got mater paneer. WE FINISHED EVERYTHING but saved some bhindiyan to take home!!! *the papads were a little sticky on teeth (not exactly the restaurant's fault? but brand choice?)
Think of Mehek's food coming from your mom's kitchen, just scaled up without losing any of the flavor combination and masala proportions. It is obvious that this is indeed a mom-and-pop establishment - mom working with full force in the kitchen, one guy (off-and-on) at the counter and the two (visibly tired but all-smiling) girls running around taking care of patient hungry patrons. this place rates among the best service I have seen in a while....
The decor is unique. The dark orange/yellow with deep red/brown painted walls and huge wall paintings transport one back to a nostalgic place and if that was not enough there is also a "manji with a salai machine" in the corner. About the dinner table -- I have never come across such sturdy big wooden tables - these won't budge an inch if the kids suddenly have an urge to push or bang on them or dance on top - they remind one of king's banquet table!
In essence, I have to make more detours when traveling between socal and bay area.
After reviewing this place on yelp I had to go. WOW, did this place deliever. I ordered the 5 veggie curry with garlic naan and I was floored! Amazing and cheap...I will definately go here again.
I can't stop thinking about this place! I have been there 4 times in the last month its that good!
First time I went with my friend and I ordered the "thali' which was great, you can tell that its made fresh.
I then took my relatives from Stockton (two indian aunts). Boy, you know a place is good when your "very indian" old school aunts have nothing to complain about and trust me they are complainers. They loved it so much the following week they drove from Stockton along with another one of my Aunts and an Uncle plus my grandfather, he's widowed and he said he hasnt had great "saag" since grandma had made it before she died. If these folks were impressed, I know this place is going to do well.
My husband loves the shahi paneer and garlic naan. My fav is daal makhni and saagg.
I love the mango lassi as well.
The service could be better. They have only 3 servers. The girl you can tell is trying to do her best she is the only one who has skills. The two guys who look like they're in high school have no service skills whatsoever, but the food is soo good I still go back.
They have been busy every time I have gone.
I would reccomend this Indian restaurant over anyone in Fresno and probably most in california. You dont find good homemade indian food unless your grandma is making it or your in India!
My wife found this place on Yelp for our recent trip up to Fresno.
All I can say is Oh... My... God...
This was so good. Some of the best Indian food I have ever had. SUPER affordable, it came out to about 50 for three of us but we WAY over ordered we could have gotten away with half as much food. And I am SO glad we didn't, leftovers here I come.
The decor is great, simple yet warm, large tables give plenty of room for gatherings.
Almost worth the drive form L.A. on it's own.
I'll keep it simple, the first two posters hit the nail on the head; this place offers wonderful food at very inexpensive prices. I am a bit concerned that the prices are TOO low (really, how often do you hear that in a review?!) because I really want this place to make it.
We first went here the first week they opened, and were extraordinarily impressed. In fact, since coming back to Fresno six months ago, it is the first and only restaurant that we actually love! We've become instant regulars here, determined to try new dishes each time we visit, and have been impressed each and every time. Today I had the mushroom curry, aloo naan and a punjabi masala tea...it was all wonderful; particularly happy about the mushroom curry as previously I hadn't had much Indian with mushroom in it. Can't wait until the next visit.
Please go try this place, getting a huge and delicious meal for two people for under $15 amazes me every time I'm there. This is the kind of place I love to introduce to people.
This place isn't even "officially open" until Monday, but my husband and I wandered in and had a wonderful dinner tonight (Friday, Nov 14th)!
This is truly the best Indian food that we have had in Fresno--and the lowest price!!!
The restaurant is vegetarian, by the way--we both ordered the special dinner, which came with everything--it's called the Special Mehek Punjab de Thali. Think of it as an Indian blue plate special. You get three dishes of the day, which they rotate--tonight it was chick pea curry, yellow dal, and the 5-vegetable curry. But also included with each dinner is a light appetizer of pappadoms with chutneys and pickles, and then along with the main course of three dishes you also get 2 chappati breads, a bunch of basmati rice, a side dish of raita (a yogurt dish) and a dessert of Indian rice pudding.
Everything was excellent! My experience of Indian food in Fresno is bland. Other restaurants just seem to leave out the spices. This one is the real deal. The green chutney is actually HOT, and the rice pudding is actually generously seasoned with real little chunks of crushed cardomom.
AND GET THIS?!?! How much would you pay for that dinner? Well, it was $5.99 per person. YES, I did not mis-type that. LESS THAN SIX DOLLARS for all that delicious food on a Friday night.
The wait staff were all very pleasant and attentive, and clearly excited to open the place! I liked the service very much. The food was all cooked fresh, and you could tell, but the wait was not long at all--no longer than you wait at any other place. The decor is pretty, and the tables, dishes, etc. were very nice quality.
We will be back, we will bring our friends and family, and I hope in these tough economic times this great place will stay open.
GO GO GO GO GO! You can't buy a home-cooked meal anywhere else for less than 6 bucks--you practically can't MAKE a home-cooked meal for less than six bucks.
Show this great new place your support, and send me a message to tell me how you liked it!
Hot diggity dayam! A wonderful Indian place in Fresno that is CONSISTENT and CHEAP? Woot.
Although all veggies, this place even has my carnivore boyfriend leaving satisfied. I love their veg biryani and palak paneer. Perfectly spiced and seasoned. And the chana masala samosa appetizer -- delicious! A wonderful play of sweet, savory, and heat -- yum!
Staff is friendly. A cool counter of assorted sweets. Baking oven in the front where you see the staff working on their breads.
Seriously, Fresno is lucky to have this gem of a place. It beats out a number of San Francisco places. . . if not all.
Just got a night sans kids and decided to try Mehek Punjab de. Delicious!!!! My husband and I couldn't stop ooohing and ahhhing over the Veg Korma! It is a very mild vegetable curry with coconut milk. It may sound like a weird combo but it was to die for!!! Everything we ate was super yummy and very affordable. Our dinner came to $17 and some change. If you have never had Punjabi food, try this place!
I by no means am a vegitarian and usually have meat at every meal but did not miss it at all eating here. The food is that good. I am not sure what else I can write that has not already been said about this place. The people were friendly, the service was relatively quick for take out, and everything was made to order as far as I could tell. The man even joke after he took our order that he had to go put them to work.
You need to go to this place if you have not. I want to go back soon and eat in. The place is decorated very well and I would love to try the food in house not after a 20 min delay. Even with the delay it was still the best indian food I had had. Try this place and keep it going. Go now if you can.
Love, Love, Love this place. Delicious vegetarian food, very reasonably priced, excellent service, exquisitely clean. My husband and I have eaten here several times since moving to Fresno, and everything's been consistently good. We often just get an order of Samosa Chana Masala each for dinner as take out. When we eat in we usually have the Thali special. Yum.
From the first time I ate at this place I have always been impressed and satisfied with the food and prices. My favorite dish is the Mali Kofta! YUMMM!!! The sweets are great, and has anyone tried the Rose milkshake? wow. I have ate at all the Indian restaurants and chat houses around the Fresno area, and this place is at the top of my list! The people are so nice and have done nice things for me on more than one occasion. The place is very clean and they even play cool music!
I found this place on yelp. I was passing through Fresno on my way to Yosemite for the weekend. This place had the best reviews as a "$" place to eat. The reviews were right. The food was cheap but good! My boyfriend and I decided to order two lunch specials and a Masala dosa. Things seemed so cheap on the menu there was no way we would get full... right?? Well the waitress kindly told us that we were ordering too much food, and said it was probably better to just get one lunch special and one masala dosa. I added an order of garlic naan to that and two mango drinks (i forget what its called). Our bill was less than 20 dollars. I thought it was great for the price. I didn't even notice there wasn't any meat. The food was good, we were full, and the service was awesome. (side note: the place is very well decorated and the bathroom was really clean...)
I wanted to try this place out since I saw all the great reviews here. I was very impressed by the flavor of the food. My first Indian food experience didn't go so well. I had the Masala Dosa, it was a random pick and I was very pleased with it. I also tried the Garlic Naan and it was awesome! I now crave Indian food and can't wait to go back and try some more items.
What's not to like? I had dinner for a large group that included several people who either (a) did not like vegetables or (b) were unfamiliar with Indian food, yet everyone came away happy with Mehek Punjab de. This is truly world-class Indian vegetarian, with very friendly (albeit slightly slow) service. I would have loved it if this place had a bar, but this really does rival some of the better options in the Bay Area.
Having been spoiled by SF Bay Area food variety, I've been on the hunt for some above par Indian food. I've found some ok stuff, but this is definitely the best option so far. You can see the naan being made, and it's light/chewy all at the same time. They give you lentil crackers before the meal, and the crackers have a bit of a kick.
Had curried lentils and palak paneer. The curried lentils were ordered spicy. It had some nice hot spiciness, but good flavor too. The masala dosa tasted different than what I've had at other places, but still very good. Just tangier than some other dosas.
As mentioned by other reviewers, service was great, prices are awesome.
The one random let down was the rice. It was basmati, but seemed stickier than the typical rice at Indian restaurants, and a little overcooked. Almost like...short grain instead of long grain.
I would highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.
The special is no longer $5.99, but $7.49 I believe. Seven dollars and some cents. Just thought I'd give this update in case anybody was wondering.
I don't think that I have ever been so excited to try a new restaurant. When I read the first review… Read more »
he Ram, go here! i've been to many indian restaurants in my day, and this is unbelievably inexpensive and the quality of food is high. and i'm so excited for another veg indian restaurant! i was so happy when i saw Dolly's review that i couldn't wait to try it.
so it's vegetarian, which is great, and they make sweets. the menu is varied, including my favorite dish (dosa, which is south indian) and chaat. plus they have fake meat (soya) curry!
there's India Sweets & Spices which has vegetarian fast food and the prices at that place and Mehek Punjab De are comparable, but this place is a nice sit-down restaurant. The interior is decorated beautifully, with art, musical instruments, and other pieces of the Punjab.
Entrees are as low as $3 which in my experience in the US is practically unheard of. You can get a piece of Roti for 55 cents and a samosa for 69 cents. this place is crazy! We got samosa chana masala chaat (snack), soya piece curry (entree), moongi masala dosa, 2 pieces of roti, 2 pieces of bhatura (bread), and a dessert and it was around $20. and pappadum and aachar (pickles) were included. the pickles (carrots) were amazing. usually indian pickles are way too intense for me but this was light and tasty. the dosa wasn't great, but we tried a new kind that was made from dahl and it was kind of earthy tasting so it may have just been the kind we got. we'll have to try masala dosa next time.
Like I said, there is a variety of foods, even some entrees I have not seen before. I need to come back at least 5 more times to try everything.
the server kept coming out to make sure we knew what we were ordering and everything, which was superfluous for us but a nice gesture and may be helpful for folks who are newer to indian food.
in summation: excellent & cheap food, friendly staff, beautiful decor. i will return again and again, especially with those prices! and thanks to dolly for the initial post about this place!
As a newbie to Punjab/Pakistani food, I don't know what I ate, but it was good. My husband and I both had the Special w/ 3 different curries. One had cheese and peas, another had lentils and the last was spinach. Though the portions appear small, with the rice and chapati (basically an Indian tortilla) it was quite filling. Once I study the menu, would like to go back and try some other dishes. Really enjoyed the decor and ambience.
I gave this 5 stars due to its location--while there are some as good and maybe even a bit better in the Bay Area, in Fresno, this is absolutely as good as it gets. Nothing was greasy, most of the vegetables were fresh, the service was the best of the best, and the pricing was more than affordable. If you have to drive through the Central Valley, take 99 and save room for dinner at Mehek Punjab de.
This place is phenomenal. That staff is so patient and super helpful (my friend has a dairy allergy so the staff helped us figure out what was going to work for her). The decor is nice. The food is just fantastic. The bonus is that the food is SO cheap!!! THere were three of us and we ordered SO much (4 dishes, the special, 4 pieces of Garlic Naan, side of rice, and teas) that we had to take half of it home and the bill was a total of $27. I had hot masala tea which was milky and delicious. We ordered the special ($5.99) which came with three different curries, a yogurt, rice, tortilla-like thing, and yummie rice pudding. One of my favorites was the Soya Curry. There was a spinach dish which was fantastic. Anyhow, I could go on and on about our experience. I only have good things to say about Mehek Punjab de and cannot wait to return with some friends next week!
Fresno, CA
Category: Indian
Fresno, CA
Category: Chinese
Fresno, CA
Category: Indian
Fresno, CA
Category: Japanese
Fresno, CA
Category: Restaurants
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