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Mon-Sun. 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Mon-Sun. 5:00 p.m. - 11:30 p.m.
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Overdue review (like almost all of my more recent and future reviews).
Came here again last weekend again... the cousin and I had a nice-postwork dinner here, where we more than adequately recovered any lost calories... painfully so.
I've ordered a number of dishes here, and none have disappointed. The one I do remember from my last visit here was the lamp chops. Fantastically tasty... must have again.
Disclaimer: Make sure you don't wear clothes that you can't throw in the hamper immediately upon returning home... their ventilation system isn't entirely top-notch... but it has nothing to do with the food. Trust.
This is the place for authentic indian and pakistani food, featuring delectable Tandoori charcoal barbeque, traditional curries, the most amazing garlic naan, specials such as brain masala, (lamb brain cooked with butter, onion, tomatoes, and spices) goat karahi ("khyber pass region delicacy where no feast is complete without this dish" featuring diced goat cooked with northern spices, herbs, and tomatoes), and Bhuna gosht "relished by punjabi stalwart soldiers" (grass fed lamb, cooked with butter with a hint of garlic and Ginger over a bed of onions, brought to simmer in Pakistani spices.)
Help yourself to the vat of chai, and polish off your meal with a bowl of kheer. Three people can happily eat here for under $40. Average price of a dish is $6.95. Don't let looks deceive you, as this is as "hole in the wall" as it gets. Decor and cleanliness are at the bare minimum, the bathroom is frightening, but I will fly to San Francisco just to eat here.
This Is my favorite Indian/Pakistani restaurant in town and I have tried a lot of them. There is nothing bad on the menu. May I suggest the lamb bhuna gosht and the chicken curry.
I have to warn you it is nothing fancy and you may have to dodge or step over a couple of crack heads to get in the door but its worth it. Don't go there for the atmosphere go there for the great food, I do.
Almost forgot, its byob.
Do you ever have one of those mornings where you wake up in a bit of a haze, and the first question on your mind is "What the fuck happened to me last night and why does my shirt smell like Tandoori chicken?!"
I thought so.
Seriously though, while I definitely remembered everything that happened to me last night, the most memorable part was the fantastic Indian meal I had in one of the most unsuspecting places in the Tenderloin.
Shalimar is a tiny, dirty, filthy hole-in-the wall, serving up some serious, and I mean SERIOUS Indian food. Nice pungent, greasy chicken tikka marsala. An amazingly thick, chunky, and delicious saag. Some whole-lentil dal that's tasty if not surprising, and a fantastic set of naan. With prices ranging from dirt-cheap to slightly less-dirty, and served up in cheap plastic plates that have seen many moons. The mise en scene was that of an Asian night market, filled mostly with locals, where you get the best of blue collar food at even-bluer-collar-prices.
We were shepherded into Shalimar by a local who claims it's some of the best Indian in the area, and I am tempted to believe his assertions. As we sat in the little space sipping beer from discrete paper cups (they told us no more BYOB, so we hid it) we watched them pull giant skewer after giant skewer of seasoned chicken from the oven, the pungent smoke hanging thick in the air. Doused in a thick red curry, that same chicken descended upon my palate like rickety speedboat full of Somali pirates descends upon an unwary container ship navigating dangerous waters. Quick, sneaky, then POW! My taste-buds have just been held ransom, and the only thing that will save them is a combination of garlic naan and more tikka marsala.
I unfortunately found this place on my last night of a week in The City, but Shalimar has instantly become my new go-to Indian when I am in the area. I fear that I have been permanently ruined on Portland Indian food now, since none have come close to the filthy brilliance dished up by Shalimar.
Shalimar VS Lahore Karahi in a fight to the death... who wins? Well, if you ask my buddy Aaron, Lahore doesn't even come close. Myself, on the other hand, sees this feud as more of a friendly sparring match where both spots come out the victor.
Apparently, Shalimar was one of the first Indian/Pakistani eateries to set up shop in the Tenderloin, and if you know anything about the 'Loin (besides the junkies and pools of vomit), you know it's home to plenty of fantastic restaurants of this variety. For setting the bar, you have to throw these guys props.
They have wacky stuff like lamb brains that you can order, but if you stick to the simple stuff, you'll be blown away. The saag is outstanding, the chicken masala is some of the best I've ever had, and their naan is incredible. Best of all, it's CHEAP! Like Lahore, the prices are in the $6-$8 per dish. A total steal for food of this quality.
It's always good sign when folks of world descent pack a restaurant serving food from their native land. Much like observing a sushi place where much of the clientele is Japanese, Shalimar had a fairly high concentration of Indian people enjoying their grub. When you see that going down, you know you're in for a real, authentic treat.
Beware - the city recently cracked down on BYOB restaurants. Shalimar used to let you imbibe freely while eating, but no longer.
Fingernail in food!
Not sure how this happened (hanging fingernail, clipping right over the beef tandoori), but there it was! Really bummed because I brought back this great take-out from this place and my gf discovered a fingernail in her food half-way during the meal. She tried not to ruin my dinner by mentioning it, but when I found out I had to throw out the rest. And I wanted to keep it for left-overs tomorrow! Bummer! Was good except for that.
What more can you ask for -- the smoky atmosphere, the charred meat, the surly service... I'll tell you what you can ask for - BRAINS. That's right, fucking Lamb Brain Masala, bitches. Deep, rich, flavorful, with thick chunks of lamb brain to wig you the fuck out while your eyes are rolling back in your head from the perfection on your taste buds.
And this after I'd already had tandoori chicken and okra. My friend says "Hey, have you tried their brains?" I couldn't pass that up.
You've gotta love a friend who supports your passion for eating everything the Earth has to offer.
We love this place.
It's noisy, funky, with sordid character soutside, but the food is GREAT!
Puts many other Pakistani and Indian restaurants to shame.
The spices are authentic and plentiful.
Mmm good!
I give out very few one star reviews, but there was a cockroach floating in a pitcher of water we requested. When we gave it back, he didn't even pour it out in front of us, he just set it down with the rest of the other pitchers...
The prices weren't anything special, and the food was pretty decent. But the roach was enough to keep me from coming back.
Awesome Pakistani food. I'm British and know my curry. This is excellent and not pretentious. Karahi is beautiful.
If you want authentic Punjabi food this is the best place in the city. If you want the Americanized version of Indian food this is not the place for you.
Get the chicken tikka masala, naan, seek kebab and the chicken biryani..I am Indian and I can tell you guys it doesnt get better than this when it comes to North Indian/ Pakistani (Punjab area) food.
Oh Shalimar, how I love you so!
My husband and I regularly sit at a 4-top and fill it with endless plates of yummy and delicious goodness. Their naan is absolutely fabulous, piping hot and the perfect tool for scraping clean the plates.
If you're a fan of lamb, try the nihari. It is to die for. Tender, falling-apart lamb in a complex, smoky and spicy sauce. Pour the sauce over their rice and you are good to go. Their chicken tikka is perfect every time. Their kabob is phenomenal. Oh, I could go on and on and on...
When an ethnic restaurant is filled by its own countrymen, then you know it's good fare.
I am a die hard Shalimar fan.
Like a fiend who embarks in a hopeless quest to reenact that first, primitive and brutal high on the drug, I have travelled the world in search of the taste of Shalimar. Needless to say, without success.
Occasionally, incandescent thoughts of Shalimar's garlic naan keep me up at night. That is all you really need to know.
I don't have much Indian food experience on my hands since the only places I've been to were buffets. However, in comparison, Shalimar was pretty decent. I give it only an "a-okay" because it wasn't all that clean in there. The flavor of the food was good, although some sauces were really oily. I really enjoyed the Murghi Korma Shahi.
Amazing food with so much flavor, so much so that there's a party in my tummy! yummy yummy yummy! (Learned this song on Yo Gabba Gabba)
Came here for lunch on friday with my coworkers. They've always told me how delicious this place was. We came here at 11:45 and it was empty. We were the first customers! The place is much more fancier than NnC, so that was a plus for me.
We ordered the chicken tikka masala, spinach with potatoes, lamb curry, a couple of pieces of chicken tandori, naan, and rice. Everything was delicious! The tikka masala was def. a lot more tastier than other places I have tried. Naan was piping hot and fresh, so fluffy and delicious! Basically everything was delicious...and nothing was left behind.
Delicious cheap Indian food, but you'll def. come out smelling out like curry after eating here. Its probably due to the lack of circulation in the restaurant. Kinda weird that you get paper cups to drink water from...a little on the ghetto-er side for me. But overall, I'd come back here for lunch again, or come here for take-out!
OK i used to love this place, but the past two times I have went my clothes reeked beyond belief afterward: get some ventilation guys. In that way the Shalimar on Polk is nicer because its breezy and has an outdoor option.
The other star off is because they stopped allowing BYO!! I don't know if the same is true for Polk st, but that really bummed me out.
The food is still great...but there are other equally good options where I won't smell and can drink a beer.
The smokey campfire smell is one of the best things about this joint. The Chicken Tikka Masala was one note and the chicken was overcooked yesterday. The naan was the worst I have had in the neighborhood and the cost with a side of so-so rice $10.20 equals no good value here. Service? Almost hostile.
Chutney, across the street, is much better and for a lunch special Pakwan is very good. Both these places give you free Chai Tea. All of them give you bad attitude. Lahore and Tikka Masala both have owners who are very nice and the food is good, too.
This joint is only good if you need to smell like you've been camping.
If you are going to stop in here (to eat or pickup), make sure it's the last stop of your day because a minute spent inside will leave you and anything you brought with you smelling like a campfire.
The three things that I would come back for and don't mind smelling smokey for are the delicious tikka lahori (lightly marinated chicken breast cut butterfly style), the seekh kebab mughlai, and the naan which has been unique in my experiences as it has a thin crispy, cracker-like crust. As for all of the curries that I've had from here so far, they aren't lacking on taste but they also aren't lacking in copious amounts of oil either. Somewhere beneath all the oil you'll find the curry you ordered.
So perhaps I was primed to much for that (under promise - over deliver?) but bottom line - a disappointment. The dirty venue, self-service, long wait would all make this a 'charming' and maybe even (a stretch...) semi-authentic experience if the food was actually amazing. It wasn't. felt like going to a cheap, unremarkable hole in the wall in Karachi. This could have been great but wasn't so.
The location is crap (to say the TL really scares me would be a grave understatement) and the place is the definition of a hole-in-the-wall (it's hot, crowded, and the floors could use a mopping or eight). But it really is the best damn hole west of the Indian Ocean! I've been to Shalimar a couple times now, and both times we had delicious meals. The 35-45 minute wait to eat here proves that this is a gem!!
The Shalimar folks have a little system down where you order after your wait in line (and the long wait will allow you to fully decide on what you're going to order). Then you find a seat, you eat, and lastly, you pay. I'm not sure why it's done this way, but it works and is pretty darn efficient.
Be sure to try:
- saag gosht (lamb) - $6.95. The lamb is melts-in-your-mouth tender and comes with lots of spinach!
- beef jalfrezi (spciy!) - $6.95. Be sure to order some chawal with this to soak up the oil and spice.
- paneer masala (cheese) - $5.95. It's cooked cheese so it's guaranteed to be delicious.
When I came here last weekend on a Friday, my bf and I got two curry dishes, the Shalimar chawal, and the garlic naan. All of it came to $20 even.
And now I am considering erasing this entire review as I'm reluctant to let the secret out....
Shalimar is great place to grab some quick, delicious indian food. It offers great food at a cheap price with a laid back atmosphere including byob. Shalimar is a great staple for the neighborhood. I highly recommend for locals as well as visitors.
This place is legit! Its not the cleanest restaurant you'll visit but that's probably because they're putting that much more effort on the food. If you like indian food, this is a must-try.
A friend took me here many years ago, this was my first visit to an Indian/Paki place.
Great value, great food. My favorite tandoori and chicken tika served here. The bartha is the best in the world. All dishes are fresh and made to order. A bit on the self-service side so you need to speak up here. A must visit if you love Indian-Paki!
For added effect the lights flash on and off occasionally.
I normally don't care about service and only care about the food but once in awhile THIS happens and I realize that service is important. I ordered and sat down. After 30 minutes and seeing people who ordered after me FINISH their meal I follow up on where the fuck is my food? I left after that.
Still one of my favorite places to go for Indian/Pakistani Food. There are other places now that I like, but this place always seems to deliver the goods. The service needs a little work, they are sometimes rude.
A buddy of mine from out of town always wants to hit this place up no matter what. I love just about everything here. The Beef Nihara and the Goat Curry are my favorites along with their OKRA dish.
Read everyone else's reviews about Shalimar's fantastic and inexpensive food, BYOB awesomeness, complimentary chai and cool newspaper menus. I couldn't agree more.
What I love about this place is that if you walk into their restaurant with your dog in tow they will promptly tell you to beat feet. One of the last few times I was here some a-hole comes strolling through the dining area with his mutt wagging its tail about 18 inches from people's food; he was cut off before he could reach the counter and told to kick rocks by one of the employees in about 0.6 seconds. I almost stood up and started a slow-building round of applause like in the climactic scene of a feelgood coming-of-age movie. I am unquestionably a dog person, but I find this revolting--why do people think it's OK to do that? If I wanted fleas in my food I'd have your mom do my cooking without her hairnet.
Exceptions: Blind people with seeing eye dogs, but if you're blind you definitely are not reading this so, really, NO EXCEPTIONS.
It's Shalimar, 'nuff said! -1 Star cuz it's dirty. (Chai's free for patrons I believe)
One of the best deals in San Francisco. A decent meal can be had at this place for under $8. The neighborhood is very seedy and the restaurant is a little dirty, but the food is excellent.
The plain naan is excellent, properly doughy and charred. The murgh tikka lahori is nicely char broiled, just a tad dry on the inside. The same goes for the tandoori boti. Side sauces or a curry dish, may help with the dryness.
The mango lassi drink was delicious and a great offset to the heavy flavors.
You must order at the counter and the food will be brought to your table. The service there is rough around the edges, but tolerable for the cheap prices and excellent food.
I dont know how much it all was as i didnt have to pay for it as it was one of my birthday dinners, but it was all good and you grab all the water yourself; a really good sense of a hole-in-the-wall-we-just-bang-out-flavorful-cheap- great-food-that-keeps-it-packed-with-people-from-i ndia-and-pakistan-and-foodies-alike place. Entrees like 5.50 and cheap desserts, mmmmmm!!!! Do a round-table with everyone getting an entree etc and sharing all the food like we did, watch out for crazies outside and dont wait outside for people showing up late-get your table and wait for them inside
Probably the best Indian/Pakistani food in the city. Yes, the place is alittle dirty, yes the service is non-existent, but the food completely makes up for that. And it's cheap and fast to boot - I love it when the place can manage that without sacrificing the food quality. The only downside is that vegetarian options are a bit limited.
Try murgh boti tandoori - it is tender and spicy and perfect. The naan is always fresh out of tandoor. Saag chicken is moist and delicios. In short - a perfect Punjabi experience!
After hearing a lot of good things about Shalimar, I was glad to finally make it out to this tenderloin hotspot to try it for myself. We went on 4th of July at about 9 pm at night, which I would assume would be a relatively quiet time to have dinner. I couldn't have been more wrong. Even at that hour, Shalimar was completely full; every table was being used, and we had to wait a good 15 minutes before being seated.
One thing to note about Indian restaurants: you will usually leave smelling strongly of Indian food. Shalimar is no exception. In fact, the restaurant is so small and compact with no barrier between the kitchen and tables and seemingly no ventilation, you will undoubtedly smell like Indian food for a couple days after eating here... not that that's bad or anything...
I was a little overwhelmed when we arrived because of how crowded it was. I was also confused because there was nobody to seat us and there weren't any waiters. Everybody was hustling and bustling around and seemed to know what to do. By watching other people seat themselves and make their way to the counter to order, we figured out what to do. They have these huge menus that you essentially circle everything you want to order. You then take the menu up to the counter and hand it to the chef who asks you where you're sitting and then tells you to take a seat.
The wait seemed a bit long, but that's understandable for being so crowded. However, I would definitely recommend having more than 1 server bringing food out to the entire army of hungry patrons.
When our food finally arrived, I was impressed with the massive feast before us. Between the three of us, we ordered tikka lahori (tandoori chicken breast), murgh korma shahi (chicken curry), aloo palak, sindhi chicken biryani, a ground chicken curry (never seen this at an Indian restaurant before, 2 orders of plain naan, 1 order of garlic naan, and rice.
Everything tasted decent; however I had a lot of trouble getting past the amount of oil resting on top of all the curries. It was literally just a puddle on top, more than even the cheesiest of pizzas. It was kind of gross! Now I've seen oil on Indian food before, at Naan & Curry, but never at a more authentic/ non-fast food Indian restaurant.
Aside from the unfortunate visual disappointment, the food was quite tasty. We especially enjoyed the tikka lahori which was spiced and cooked perfectly. The chicken breast was nice and crispy on the outside, while still being tender and succulent on the inside. All of the curry's tasted fine. I would skip the chicken biryani. It didn't offer much more than the plain rice and the chicken looked and tasted like it had been sitting out for a while. I will compliment the garlic naan; it was great. It was packed to the brim with yummy garlic cloves.
Although I left satisfied, I'm not sure if I would come here again. I've been fortunate to have found other much better tasting Indian restaurants in the bay area. Don't get me wrong, the food didn't taste bad. However the location is pretty seedy, it's very crowded and thus service is slow, the curries are way too oily, and bathroom stinks like no other. I have a fleeting suspicion that my expectations for Shalimar were so high because of all the positive things I've heard about it, that I was ultimately disappointed. Therefore I would advise to try it for yourself. Just don't go in with any expectations...
Alright, I don't care too much about hygiene, a 66 on the health report doesn't scare me away. I've been blessed with an immune system. However, the big buckets of food I saw being wheeled in out of a van that came from Lord knows where at 6:30 pm on a Saturday almost did.
The food is good, it's not Lahore Karahi good, but it is good and although I'm not desi, I'd say authentic, judging from much of the happy clientele. I liked the haleem, but they only had beef and I wanted chicken (or much, much better, lamb, but that wasn't even on the menu). The spice is right and the naan, the mango lassi, the channa, all good. Plus it's HALAL.
The look, feel, and service reminds me of developing countries, so if you want a really cheap way to pretend your visiting India or Pakistan, go here and sit next to a table speaking Hindu or Urdu. Close enough.
My favorite part was when the Shalimar employees laughed and clapped when I left my date after a tirade on his old (lied about) age and his age discrimination and the problem of older single Muslim women looking to marry. I think they had my back, but maybe I was just daydreaming that part.
Good food.
Really cheap.
You can bring your own alcohol.
Lines can be long and the place can be busy because of good food and alcohol policy (they also sell beer for cheap).
Not exactly a date kind of place, but good for take out or a quick dinner.
I don't get it. Realy, I don't. I mean, I know people love this restaurant, and I know it's been around a long time, but the food is just....mediocre. Maybe it's because I'm Pakistani and know good Pakistani food well? but this restaurant was a major major disappointment to me.
The only thing I could potentially go back for? the bbq and kabobs. They were good, so check that out if you're heading to Shalimar.
While it wasn't the absolute best Indian food I've ever had, it was quite tasty and the price was right! After having some rather flat and non-fluffy naan from a place in the Mission, the fluffy naan here was a breath of fresh air. I didn't realize that they had lamb brain masala until after I left, so I'll have to try it next time.
The service isn't that friendly or welcoming, the atmosphere is borderline dumpy with its fluorescent lighting, and it's a scary neighborhood after dark. But I think their food is great. Yes, they do make it very spicy by default so maybe keep that in mind. The mango lassi is so good!
Consistently good food, average prices, however no decor, no service, a little dirty at times AND DO NOT USE THEIR BATHROOM, you might catch cholera . . . . .
Shalimar makes Naan n' Curry look like McDonalds.
You know you are in good hands because:
1. It's an Indian restaurant that Indians actually go to eat.
2. 3 out of 15 tables are vacant at 6 p.m. on a Thursday.
3. You clean up the stuff you normally ignore, like spinach.
4. You find yourself thinking about every plate three days later.
I am fairly new to Indian food. My friend and I had chicken tikka masala and beef jalfrezi, then saag chicken and bhuna gosht two days later. I didn't know what to expect, but the flavors blew me away. My friend kept marveling at the whole grains of cardamom in the tikka masala's cream.
I would have liked a strong cup of Darjeeling, but then the experience would be too perfect. :)
By the way, the naan was very fulfilling. It wasn't until I got home and started eating the food my mom left for me when I realized how full I already was.
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