Shalimar

04/07/2008 Posted by Moury

I heard food was great so decided to check it out. Man i wish i would not gone there. I ended up having a foot long hair in my chicken tikka masala. I am still shocked, i wonder how the city allows such a nasty kitchen with there food all over on the floor and that too next to the rest room. This place should be shut down. Worst KItchen.

03/26/2008 Posted by sanfrancritic

I love Indian food and have tried hundreds of restaurants in the Bay Area and Shalimar takes the prize for the worst Indian food in the city. I recently went in with friends for lunch and ordered Chicken Tikki Masala with naan, a lamb curry dish and another chicken dish. All were covered in a thick layer of grease and all three dishes were the same exact color and consistency. The lamb and tikki masala dishes had tiny bones in the sauce and the flavor was terrible. To make matters worse, the place was filthy. An absolute waste of time and $$$. Go anywhere but Shalimar!

11/18/2006 Posted by newguysfo

I've never been to Pakistan or India but this is what I imagine it would be like. Been here a few times and it's the best in class if you're looking for 1. cheap 2. fast 3. minimal but good service 4. a unique but not elegant ambience 5. a fine San Francisco location. Other reviewers have said anything that I might say so no need repeating. I would recomment this restaurant to tourists and locals and those who don't need to park a car around here. Just what to update the reviews to let you know it's all still true and good up to November 2006

10/26/2006 Posted by dvliao

A quintessential dive so you've got to have a strong stomach for a place lacking in hygiene and fancy restaurant amenities. But if you're into food that's authentic, finely tuned with spices and gives you the true-to-form flavors of the region, this is it! Everything is made to order and you can watch them make it in the open kitchen. Plus it's SO cheap! It was the first visit for 3 of us so we ordered a variety of dishes and after gorging ourselves, still had plenty left over. It all totaled less than $25. I'm definitely going back! As first-timers, we took their recommended dishes and had a tandoori chicken, curry dish, okra, lentils, garlic naan and rice.

Pros: Great value! Authentic Indian flavors.

Cons: Parking is tough and I wouldn't want to be in the neighborhood at night.

10/04/2006 Posted by pacheights

Shalimar is without any doubt the best authentic Pakistani restaurant in the city. This restaurant caters to the expat Pakistanis/Indians looking for a spicy, cheap and authentic (i.e. not-Americanized) meal, but who are otherwise unconcerned about the environment. It cannot be compared to the upscale Pakistani/Indian restaurants that cater towards the American crowd. This place is a truck-stop and everything from furniture to silverware is very basic. There is no full-waiter service. You order your food at the counter and someone will bring it to you. Staff is usually polite but will probably not have much eye contact or conversation with you. I recommend the Polk street location because it is in a much better neighborhood than the jones street location.

Pros: Great Tasting Cheap Food

Cons: Basic Service; Bad Location; Credit Cards not Accepted

09/30/2006 Posted by autumnstang97

man this place was jumpin...been here about 15 times ant have taken out about 5 times and it keeps getting better and better...very flavorful dishes...staff is kinda lousy but hey its all about the food...prices are very good...place your order at the counter...

Pros: tasty food...

Cons: decor, but its no big deal, tables were clean so i am not complaining...

04/19/2006 Posted by reddudeman

I went to Shalimar last night for the first time, after exhausting all the other options in Little Bombay (Jones and O'Farrell). Shalimar is by far the best -- every dish had a complex spice taste to it that was unlike any other Indian meal I've ever had. The ghost was fantastic, the tandoori was flavorful and JUICY (really hard to pull off), the mango lassi was perfect. A bit oily and in a sheisty neighborhood, but well worth it. One of my top meals ever.

Pros: food, spices, value

Cons: sheisty neighborhood, decor

04/01/2006 Posted by telcospecialist

they goot some good food. Now open in Sunnyvale O give props to their owner for keepin the quality, and their staff for the great work they doooooooooooooooooo. I love you Shalimar.........

Pros: Food, Food, Food

Cons: N/A, N/a, N/a

11/18/2005 Posted by wheresthefish

The place was confusing (we had no idea we had to order at the counter), the restaurant was noisy and chaotic, and they forgot one of our dishes. But have you SEEN the PRICES? I didn't expect five star dining, just five star food. And it was. Absolutely the cheapest, most delicious Indian food I have had in a long while. And that's the point, isn't it? Good food?

Pros: Food, Prices

Cons: Service, Decor

09/26/2005 Posted by skirsner

Good naan isn't enough to redeem Shalimar. The service was chaotic and confusing - even though we went in expecting a counter-service experience. No one explained where or how to get beverages, or whether we or a roving waiter were supposed to pick up our food when it was reader, or who we were supposed to pay. Add to that a noisy, jam-packed dinining room, and it's hard to understand what people like about the place. The prices are cheap, yes, but the food isn't anything to write home about.

Pros: Inexpensive

Cons: Noisy, Chaotic, Average food