The small one block stretch on Jones between Geary & O'Farrell hosts three Pakistani/Indian restaurants namely Shalimar, Chutney and Pakwan that I decided to try, to find one that I could stick with on a regular basis. After trying Shalimar, I decided to try Chutney. Chutney is located in the heart of the hood so apart from letting you know that you have to basically ignore panhandlers on your way here and back, I'm going to spare you other details. Chutney seems to be slightly bigger than Shalimar and is also a lot cleaner compared to Shalimar. The carpet definitely needs cleaning, but it does look like the floors and tables are cleaned periodically unlike Shalimar where they seem to be simply wiped down. At the peak dinner hour Chutney too was almost full but not as packed as Shalimar across the street. I decided to get the Chicken Tikka Masala ($8.99) and a couple of naan ($1) to-go. Wait time again was around 20 minutes which was not too bad. Taste wise the Chicken Tikka Masala was nicely cooked. It was hot but not overly spicy. The naan was also nicely cooked without it being overly soft and chewy or hard and brittle. Overall this was a pretty good meal. After my first visit I've been back a couple of times to try out a couple more of their chicken and lamb dishes all of which are around the $10 mark. Similar to Shalimar the quantity of food that you get when you dine-in is much less when compared with to-go, but they seem to be a little more generous than Shalimar. Price-wise Chutney is about 15% more expensive than Shalimar across the street and 15% less expensive than Pakwan that is on the next block. Taste-wise and consistency wise it is on the top followed by Shalimar and then Pakwan. Chutney is my preferred choice when I want to dine-in. read more

Chutney - Chicken tikka masala ($8.99) and naan ($1). The naan could be better but overall its good. - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Tried chicken tikka masala at this place 3 years ago. Honestly Didn't like it much back then. After 3 years it was a time to go back and give them another shot. It was quite shocking to me how they've improved since then. Cleanliness of the restaurant and the area aren't the best however they have very delicious CTM and LTM. 4 stars being given just for the cleanliness and the area. Otherwise foods are an outstanding. read more

If I could give a zero star I definitely would. As a Sf native I can honestly say this place has for sure fallen off... besides being an hour late the order was missing items and what was received was dry flavorless small piece of tandoori chicken with what seemed to be a whole chopped onion. Do your self a favor and order somewhere else It's not worth it read more

Best Indıan restaurant in town. Prices are eligible. For the people who like spicy food definetely go there. I had Chicken Tika Masala, lamb tika masala seems pretty good too. read more

If you go this place you should order and Chicken masala , rice , nan and shishkebab You would love it. read more

This review is based on a delivery experience. I placed my order for vegetable samosas and chicken tikka masala with a side of naan. Perhaps my own fault, but I didn't realize that rice is a la carté (maybe that's a west coast thing? Rice is always included with these dishes in the midwest). No sweat, I was able to get by with the naan. The naan felt a little on the dryer side The samosas were truly remarkable, I could have eaten these by the dozen. I also loved the spice level of the Tikka Masala, with some rice I definitely would have been in heaven. I also really liked the price point, which even seemed a bit less than I pay at home (which surprised me!). All in all, the flavors were delightful and I would definitely order from Chutney again! read more

No improvement I'm afraid. And they still try to pass off lamb as goat meat. Also, I've found Pakwan (just across the street) & Lahore (a block away) far tastier. read more

I really liked the Indian food here. Very clean place, nice location downtown San Francisco.

Tried the 3 different Indian/Pakistani restaurants on this block. Definite Winner! Stays open late, owner very helpful when ordering. You order at the counter and runner brings you the food to your table. The food was all very good, especially the tiki masala and the kabobs (they are a little spicy) comfortable and clean. Parking can be difficult and neighborhood sketchy but worth it! read more

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It's a one kebab or two? I order two and my order came like this. I also ordered chicken boti which was uncooked and the tikka masala sauce i wrote special instruction that says we only want sauce nothing in that but i think nobody reads any of orders there because i got it with full of carrots. We usually order there the same things. Before it was good but last 2 orders were just garbage. read more

Chutney - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

This Place is One Of my Favorite Indian Pakistan Place To eat . I always Order the Chicken Kebabs , Lamb Chops, Chana Masala , Chicken Breast , Chicken Alfrezi , Extra Crispy Naans and Masala Sauce on the Side . Oh and also the Lamb Curry and Lamb Vindaloo ! Love it i go here almost all the time . read more

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The food is mostly from frozen. Heat up in microwave and they proudly accept it. The Nihari was very salty. The Haleem tasted like leftover daal mixed with leftover mutton korma frozen and heat up in microwave. The chicken Tikka was fresh. But lightly marinated. The naans were room temperature cold. There was a fly on the plate. They replaced the plate. Didn't apologize. And interesting commented that all Pakistani restaurants in USA has flies and serve frozen food. Very disappointing that they are licensed to serve food. Needless to say I'm never coming back here. read more

NOT the same place when they started. Very very poor quality, stale food so I just stopped going there for the past several years!

Decent indian/pakistani food for affordable prices. Don't expect anything else apart from tasty food, and you'd be satiated. Had a late night bite here about 10:30pm, food came promptly and tasted yum. We had garlic naan (7/10), chana masala (7/10), chicken seekh kebab (8/10) and lamb chops (6/10). We dined in, which I would not recommend. They do takeout through various apps so I'd suggest that instead. They had ran out of lamb seekh and beef seekh kebabs, so keep that in mind for late night bites. 7.5/10, would likely grab take-out from here again some read more

Chutney - Chana Masala, Garlic Naan, Salad, Lamb Chops, Chicken kebab - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

The best East Indian food in SF if you want to impress a date and not smell like the wonderful curry after you leave. But, there is one better East Indian restaurant (up the street) if you dare to go - Shalamar. Dare, I say - you will have to read my Shalamar review to know more. Chutney, will serve you great food and there will be no need to shower off the wonderful curry flavors after you leave the restaurant as they stay in the kitchen on your plate where they belong. Also, they clean (unlike at Shalamar) and the atmosphere is date friendly if s(he) is up for most anything. Go! Note: there are a several excellent East Indian restaurants on the same street or nearby - but, I think Chutney and Shalamar are the best! read more

Service was great, and food was delicious. Second time at this place 2nd time having Indian food. Where have I been? Absolutely delicious! Came to S.F. last year and it's been on my mind ever since! Had Daal goaht curry, chicken biryani, mix veggie tikka masala curry, and garlic naan! Will return on our next trip!!!! read more

Chutney - Daal Goaht Curry Garlic Naan Chicken Biryani Mix Vegetables Tikka Masala Curry - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Love this place. Good food Good service Cleaner and nicer than most of the other indopak restaurants in the area. My must haves are the ctm, tandoori chicken, mango ice cream and the complimentary chai. read more

The place is a hidden gem not the fanciest, but like they say never judge a book by its cover!! The chicken tikka masala and garlic, naans to die for. read more

I was walking by a bustling Chutney late at night and overheard two people who just exited the restaurant raving about their food. Immediately I took quick peek at the festive ambiance, lookie lookie at their window menu and decided to join the crowd. With a hint of smoke in the air, the noise level was high as I sat among many large groups and South Asian families with small children. Their service protocol required me to stand in line to order by the kitchen and then return to the same spot to pay once the meal was finished. I thought my chicken tikka masala ($6.49) was fulfilling due to the thick creamy Bombay sauce with seven thick pieces of white meat chicken that embodied a faint smoky taste. The cream sauce was a bit sweeter than desired and it would have tasted better if the spices were more potent and penetrating. Luckily I asked for the dish to come spicy to meet my palate interested, and even at that the side plate of raw onions among the fresh vegetables were sharper and robust in flavor. My side order of rice ($1) was nicely seasoned and onion naan ($1.99) was a huge heaping piece of bread with nice crisp and fluffy texture. It was overall a good portion and good value experience but I've certainly had better. I would only come back when I'm in the area and will likely to skip their curry for kabab and tandoori items instead. read more

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As you know, I am fearful of any place that has a menu -- where the word "spicy" is repeated more than a dozen times. When my boyfriend decided that we should go to Chutney - I whimpered. We ordered two garlic and onion naans, two mango lassi's, one side of rice and one chicken tikka masala. Yes, guess who decided she wanted to go to Saigon Sandwiches (review coming up) instead? My boyfriend insisted that I get something here and I insisted that I was not ready for Chutney to take away my Pakistani food virginity away. Our food came out to $18 and we decided to get it to-go since I wanted to try Saigon Sandwiches. When we got our order, the smell of the Chicken Tikka Masala was so entrancing, I decided that I wanted to carry it to our car and that I was going to sit with it on the way home. It smelled that heavenly. We decided to go to S.S. and then we went home. I decided to put my Vietnamese sandwiches away so I could eat some of the naan. What ended up happening was -- I ate all of the Chicken Tikka Masala and rice. It wasn't even THAT spicy - never mind that I drank all of my Mango Lassi. Chutney - I noticed that this is categorized under Indian and Pakistani -- does this mean conflict between two countries can result in some orgasmic food? Oh yes. Peace to the Middle East (and Asia). read more

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Country Mouse seeking good Indian Food in the big city...I even went to the scurrrry Tenderloin to get it! If you were to look at the photo that accompanies this review you will see that I ordered a lot of food. Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice, and Naan size of my face. My intent was to take some home for my husband but he missed out because it was so good that I finished it all, yes all. Chicken Tikka Masala: semi-sweet, creamy/buttery, and spicy! I am not sure there is a better combo of flavors. I particularly like that the chicken was not dry but was juicy enough to cut with my fork. Rice: buttery and some other flavors I can't place but butter is the important one. Naan: If it had butter on it it would have been the best but it didn't so it qualifies as really good. All of that was $13 plus tip. read more

Chutney - Chicken Tikka Masala, Rice, and Naan. And it's mine! All mine!! - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

Their chicken tikka masala has the perfect balance of sweet, savory, and spicy. I didn't care for the huge chicken chunks, they were a little dry. I ordered a side of rice, which was so flavorful and delicious. They give you a big portion, so you'll most likely take some to go. TIPS: - It's located in a shady neighborhood. This is not an ideal first date restaurant. Unless you want a reason for your girl to clutch onto you a little harder, then go right ahead. ;) - You order your food at the register, and they give you a number. Sit down anywhere and they'll bring your food to you. Then go back to the register to pay. - The to go containers are in the back, near the kitchen. - Wear your ugly clothes to this restaurant. Because you will smell like bbq and curry for the rest of the day. read more

Chutney - Chicken tikka masala and side of rice - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

The worst customer service, We ordered no spice Lamb Curry but they gave us 3x Spicy Food and when we asked to replace the food they bring us the same thing with orange(masala) sauce. read more

Chutney - Replaced lamb curry with chicken tikka masala sauce - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

There are no slimy alleys to traverse, no TVs blaring, no fluorescent lights shining at Chutney. I point this out only to establish a pattern in which Chutney blows the roof off its competitors in this curry-rich region of San Francisco. The ordering process is straightforward in its efficiency. Look at the laminated menu, place your order with the handsome, smiling man (he struck me as a South Asian Jesus) behind the counter and take your plastic number to your table. Try and fetch your own silverware, napkins and water tureen and you will be gently nudged back to your table - they've got this part covered and will bring everything you need to you. Food arrives in a timely manner and is for the most part delicious - especially considering the price. read more

The service is sucks. They got roaches in their restaurants. And the cashier didn't want to cancel our order

This place has some seriously good and cheap Indian food. Despite being in the Tenderloin, it was totally worth it. Between the five of us, we shared the: garlic naan (five orders!)--big chunks of fresh garlic on top mango lassi (delicious creamy mango drink) Bengan Bharta (perfectly spiced) tandoori fish (very tender and flaky!!) rice pullao lamb vindaloo (very tender meat) chicken tikka masala (delicious!) With all these dishes, the bill came out to less than $12 per person! Plus they give you unlimited chai tea to drink! It was sooooo yummie! Parking in the area can be difficult, but I say its worth it to come here at least once! People were constantly coming in while we were eating. The turnover rate is pretty quick so dont despair if you see that the restaurant is full. read more

BYYYY far my most favorite Indian restaurant in SF!!!!!! I stumbled across this place on yelp after telling my mom how bomb indian food and telling her how she must try it. Ever since then, I always come here when I'm craving indian food when I'm around the area. Can't ever go wrong with their chicken tikka masala and their naan and of course the mango lassi! Service can be a bit slow sometimes because it is always packed here but it's absolutely worth the wait! read more

Nevermind the hooker soliciting cheap thrills or the crackhead selling you his torn shoelaces as you enter Quite the treat in the unstoppable TL district, Chutney fills the stomach and satisfies the taste buds. And they have for the last several years I've visited this place Although, on my next visit I'm going to be adventurous and try something new other than my FAVORITE usual items: Chicken Tikka Masala ($6.49) SPICY with rich tomato sauce & grilled chicken Palaak Aloo Methi ($5.49) Spinach curry with potatoes Palaak Paneer ($6.49) Spinach curry with cheese...my FAVORITE among the dishes. Very flavorful and should be paired up with any of the naans I mention on the next item... Aloo Naan ($1.99) Smashed potatoes stuffed in soft, warm naan bread. I enjoy Aloo a lot more than the garlic & onion naans just because Indian cuisines are generally rich in flavor particularly spices, so the very thick & filling Aloo naan can tone down the heavy flavoring of the curries, tikkas or gravies Tandoori Chicken ($2.99) Very dry from the supposed tender grilled chicken but the spice and flavor were there Don't expect intimate ambiance & state of the art lighting. It ain't DOSA & it ain't Naan n' Curry either... it's Chutney, a very simple, sit-down venue for people to enjoy the food without the presentation to reckon with. Plus, I appreciate the reasonable prices & fast service even though I bite my tounge as to mention that our waiter took my plate as soon I was just CLOSE to finishing my meal ... cool disappearing act...poof! read more

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I am making an update to my previous review . A few days ago , i've ordered seekh kebab and it was lunch time , and it was spoiled meat . And at the first time when the same thing happened couple month ago , I thought its just a mistake , but this time , I think I have to let you guys know about it . Meat was spoiled and even smelling bad ! It was very bad ! I usually eat in this place at least 2 times a week , and this was big disappointment for me ! Update #3 : I still go there because i like their briani and tikka masala and Vindaloo. As I can see owner renovated the place and its clean now . However they use old potatoes for vindaloo and old meat for seekh keBab. Please , do not do this. Thanks... read more

Chutney is a good restaurant food quality is very good. Owner is quite nice. By mistake I forgot my leather jacket. Next I checked with them. They kept it safe with all belongings. Thank u sir. Toilet quality need improvement. read more

Pros: Inexpensive Generously portioned DELICIOUS Quality One of the best deals in San Fran for a huge heap of inexpensive and yummy food. Cons: Noisy and loud inside. A bit crowded too. (Totally worth it, though. Plus: there's always take-out!) Here's what we ordered: Somosas (potato, peas and spices stuffed in a thick folded dough, then fried) Pompadoms (super thin crispy 'wafers' dotted with fennel seeds) Chicken Tikka Masala (white meat tandoori chicken cooked in a thick red creamy sauce, tastes a bit tomato sauce-y and yogurty) Bodi Chicken (tandoori chicken, breast meat chunks served with sliced onions and lemons with a savory thin "sauce" and chopped cilantro Aloo Mattar (potatoes and peas in a flavorful curry sauce) Plain Naan (soft and tender flat bread) Garlic Naan (flat bread topped minced garlic and cilantro) We loved everything. We(2 of us) actually were able to make 5 meals out of what we got--- and we were ravenous when we first tucked into our hot, fresh food so it's not like we were eating like birds or anything. I was a little less enthusiastic about the Chicken Tikka Masala. I found it a little too creamy and felt like some of the flavor was a little diluted. But not bad at all. It was still yummy. The Bodi Chicken was fantastic!! Only drawback? The to-go container was the soft papery kind (great for the environment and ideal when used properly) and all the liquid slowly absorbed into it and dissolved out. Fortunately we put napkins under it in anticipation. Missed dipping chicken into that liquid though. Aloo Mattar was incredible. This isn't one of my commonly ordered entrees but it is one of my favorites and Chutney did it so well. No hint of bitterness (from using too-old spices) as is occasionally found. A touch of sweetness and a lot of seasoning. The somosas weren't the best I've ever had but they were up there. I like mine not too spicy and seasoned heavily and these fit the bill. Great dipped in tamarind sauce or the green chutney stuff. The pompadoms were pretty good. I ordered them more for nostalgia than anything. The Garlic Naan was the best I've EVER had. Crunchy. Garlicy. Cilantroy. Soooo Flavorful. Sooooo Good with the food. Order 2. So.... Here's the thing. I almost didn't come here. In fact I was going to go to their main competitor (so I assume: Shalimar) because soooo many people complained of a rude guy in a Giants hat. Well people: He was not there today. Or if he was, he was hatless and nice as can be. :P I chose Chutney over the other in the end because a lot of yelpers said the other place was greasy and had tiny bits of meat. Chutney had generous, flavorful portions. I would be happy to go here again. However I have one little annoyance: Rice didn't come with my dishes and it wasn't obvious until we were far away. So if you want basmati rice, make sure you order it. For what it's worth I've eaten Indian all across the country and this is a standout establishment, food wise. I will be back here on my next visit to the area. My guy even said to me "Do you think we should start ordering more Indian food back home?" Does it get better than that? To the yelpers: I love ya'll but if an employee is rude to you please don't just write a review... Call the management and let them know. If someone lies to you: give management an opportunity to resolve it. If someone is not polite: talk about it with someone who can do something about it. Don't just diss the place and close the book forever. You're short changing yourself in the end. -Usually- owners and mangers do care and would like to know if their staff is turning people off. read more

My favorite (indian cuisine) destination in SF. Chutney started my obsession with the flavors of India over 2 years ago. I can attribute at least 5 pounds of my body weight to this restaurant. Quality and flavor is back. Eat there! Must order: -Chicken Tikka Malasa -Seekh Kabob -Beigun Bharta -Bhindi Masala -Rice -Naan I've eaten here at least "dozens" of times, sometimes twice in a week. The owners still don't recognize me or my family though... Excellent value. Decent prices. Lively atmosphere. Extremely noisy. Can be challenging to find a place to sit, but ABSOLUTELY worth the wait (and a 40 mile roundtrip drive from the San Mateo area). More later... read more

3.5 stars You order, pay and sit down. Had the chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, garlic & cheese naan, and lamb vindaloo. The tikka masala is creamy and good and the lamb vindaloo was nice too. The only thing was that all the meats in the dishes were way overcooked and dry. The garlic naan was better than the cheese naan here. It's a good meal for the price. I think it's better than Shalimar across the street. read more

Chutney - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

In at least one conceivable universe I would offer up four stars. The food is quite good, though I've had better, and the service is reasonably prompt, though some places bring it out faster. But I'm going to bump it up to five based on how well they've kept to their program in the midst of the ocean of haterade whiny entitled San Franciscans are pouring on them below. I enjoy their food. It comes well-spiced and in large portions. Their tikka masala will win no awards for creativity but is thick and creamy, satisfying, and addictive. The veggie curries don't all make full use of the Bay Area's bounteous locavore harvest, but the flavors leave my mouth wonderfully happy. They could up their game on their free chai and on their naan. The rice is already perfect as is. More to the point, this is a value restaurant. That doesn't mean it's a total dive: The room is actually fairly spacious and attractive given its downtown location, the affordable prices, and order-at-the-counter bring-your-number-to-your-table service dynamic. A single diner can get away for under $10 and a group of four can stuff themselves silly without going far beyond $40. Plus they're open until midnight, which makes this a great if heavy post-bar option and a good one for a quick bite when I'm on my way home to do more work. On all of these counts we should be encouraging them to keep doing what they're doing, and hope that anyone with issues kindly take them to less affordable, more precious establishments. read more

The food was good. No complaints from me. I went with a large party of six. We were seated promptly. read more

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Worse Chicken Tika Masala and Naan I've ever had! They even ran out of Samosas. Would never eat here again or recommend. :-( The chicken Tika Masala had no spice at all, just sweet. Oh it did have a nice hair in it! The Naan was just awful and think. The bathroom is disgusting! I'm very disappointed at all the other people who have posted such high reviews about this place. My friend and I are really curious if you've ever eaten good Indian food before. We only came here because of the reviews. We were misled and are very sad since Indian is our favorite food. We have had such a wonderful day and now we are leaving the city with disdain! read more

Chutney - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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The real deal - best Indian food I've had in a long time. Ignore all the haters if you want real Indian food in a real local setting.

I am a diehard fan of Shalimar in Fremont and Chutney has a similar service style and ambiance. We were in the city on Christmas day and ended up at Chutney based on their high yelp rating. We ordered, found an unclean table in the packed restaurant and sat down. After 10mins of waiting, our table was finally cleaned. The cleaning was of course not thorough and some spoons and napkins were left behind under the table. I was willing to forgive them as all I wanted was some exceptional grub. Our 15mins of wait turned into 30mins. A larger table seated after us were also served food meanwhile. We kept waiting for 10mins more, after about 45mins of wait we finally asked the server if it would take longer. They had clearly forgotten us. We got our dishes in a couple of minutes after we asked.I can understand where they are coming from and service was clearly not their strong point. I was only looking for top notch food and did not care about the rest. Anyway, the food arrived and the first thing I noticed were tomatoes in the biryani!! I tried to calm myself down hoping the tomatoes in their biryani elevated it somehow. Anyway, all they did was turn parts of the biryani they came in contact with into absolute mush. The chicken in the biryani had 80% bone and it was tough hunting for some meat. The only positive was that the little meat was falling off the bones easily, implying it was extremely well cooked.Taste wise it can best be termed bland. We also got the special of the day- achari murgh, some chicken sheesh kebab and garlic naan. The naan was non greasy, fresh and soft. The sheesh kebabs were crying for some extra kick. The achari murgh was not too greasy and definitely tasted like achari murgh. The only negative I could find in the curry was the excessive use of whole peppercorns and coriander seeds. It is definitely nice to get some whole spices once every few bites. But, 5 of them in every mouthful is not good. The positive was that the chicken was easily falling off the bones like the chicken in the biryani. read more

We were in SF for the weekend for a seminar, and my friend was awesome enough to find places to eat for us. We battled the rain to walk several blocks to this place, and I'm so glad we did!! I got the chicken tikka masala (about $6). the color kind of scared me (bright orange) but suprisingly, it was savory, full of flavor, creamy and delicious!! I ordered a naan for an extra dollar, and it was HUGE! it was difficult to finish on my own!! The place is a little dark and I was afraid to use their bathroom, but the food was superb and I would definitely go back! the food came out quickly, and the servers were very nice. :) read more

Chutney - chicken tikka masala. yum! - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Solid, good Indian food. If you are ever in the TL/Nob Hill/Tender Nob area and looking for a fulfilling and affordable meal, go here! Additionally, it has a clean, comfortable atmosphere. read more

Chutney - Indian Near Me - San Francisco, California