THE BEST!!!. This is a great little place with great food! If you are looking 4 a fancy place, go some where else but if you are looking 4 great authentic Pakistany food...? You have to try this Restaurant and you will have extra to go…

Dirtiest Kitchen.. 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.…

Simply the Worst!. 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!…

Authentic Pakistani cuisine and budget prices are the draws at this popular Tenderloin destination.. In Short
This Pakistani eatery counterbalances scruffy decor with rock-bottom prices and a down-to-earth atmosphere. Diners order at the counter and carry their food to their tables. Out from the tandoor comes lamb chops, skewered chicken and delicious flatbreads stuffed with onion and potato. Other dishes include palak aloo methi, a sort of stew with spinach and potatoes, and chicken korma, a spicy curry with tender chicken that literally falls off the bone.…

Seems like an authentic place. 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…

Total dive but oh so good!. 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.…

Authentic Truck-stop Style Pakistani/Indian Restaurant. 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.…

Awsome Food...Watch out when walking to the place...bums all over. 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...…

Fantastic Indian Food!. 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.…