This place follows all of the rules of how to find exceptional ethnic food. You'll find this sneaky little spot in an unassuming building with very little signage. Inside, you'll find the floorplan modestly but tastefully decorated and packed with Benghali, Pakistani and Afghani Phonecians. The buffet is amazing. The vegetarian dishes have more robust flavors than I typically encounter, even within East Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines. The saag paneer is a total winner. I'm typically turned off by saag and palak paneer dishes because they're too soupy and creamy, but here it's completely different. The same goes for the chana masala. If you're a meat eater, you won't be disappointed. They have chicken tikka as well as a great selection of goat, chicken and beef simmered in characteristic sauces. The price for the dinner buffet is also exceptionally reasonable. While it seems only regular-reasonable at first blush, your drink and naan are included. I wrote this review, and now I want to go to there... read more

Hilal Grill - Indian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

I plan to visit this place at least once every 2 months (this is little far from my place). If you are a non vegetarian foodie this place is perfect. I have been to the lunch buffet so many times and only once I found that all items (especially veg dishes) were not up to the mark. Otherwise found each item tasty and cooked to perfection. Got a vegetarian in group? No worries - although options are little less in buffet, they are equally tasty. Also they keep rotating some of their menu items. Kebabs are good as well. Tip: Make sure you order the deep fried breads (Poori) on buffet. And don't miss the Phirni (dessert). Note: This review is based on buffet only. read more

I live close to this place and always notice there is a lot of cars in the parking lot. So we decided to check it out. Went during the week before 4pm and they had a buffet. Was not expecting that but even better so we could try out their food. I gotta say I was impressed at how good the food was. $13 per person which also includes a drink. They have the buffet service all week from 11 through 4 p.m. and I believe they said all day on Sunday which they offer more items on the menu. I recommend and will def return. read more

Hilal Grill - Indian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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I have visited this restaurant more than i can remember. At one time i visited this restaurant every friday to eat their buffet. This definitely deserves a 4.5 but unfortunately i would have to stick with 4 Lets start with Buffet. Simply amazing. Their menu has evolved over time. They generally do 2 chicken, one lamb/goat/beef curry and meat appetizer. They always have puri halwa and chole. I am not a fan of puri halwa but it is really good. Their meat recipes are great specially nihari. I recommend trying if it is on buffet. Their alcarte menu is great. I have tried almost every dish on menu. I would recommend mantoo, beef nihari, haleem, goat karahi, chicken curry, tandoori chicken, badiyjaan and goat biryani. I can walk to hilal grill anytime and the food is always great. I definitely recommend this place probably one of the best Indian/afghan restaurant in the valley. read more

Highly recommend this place for take out, it always satisfies my cravings honestly every dish I get from here is amazing. I only wish they had bigger portions for the price. read more

The best Indian food in town however I don't like the fact that you can't take the buffet food to go. I came here on Sunday and I asked for two buffet plates to go but the cashier say no. The owner has to understand that not everyone has luxury of sitting down and eating food especially with this corona virus. Also I was willing to pay extra but the cashier say no. I know a lot people who stop getting here for that reason. Like I said I love it here ,but something have to change. read more

I'd say I'm a well traveled fella. I've tasted good food all over the world. This place, hands down, the best I've ever had. Everything was phenomenal. I came twice in one day!!!! And I would do that more often if I lived closer. I will add a picture of my lunch, I highly recommend!!!! read more

Hilal Grill - Special Mixed Platter - Indian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

Perfect presentation , large serving size and very tasty food . Tried their Ramadan buffet and trust me during our 7days vacation to Phoenix ; we had food from them 5 days straight . read more

Hilal Grill - Biryani Rice - Indian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

By far it is our favorite place in the valley, everything taste perfect from chicken handi/bote/bote Malay to crispy nan garlic nan. Great restaurant. 5 stars Update: I visit this restaurant at least once month, one of my favourites of all time. But there is always and I mean always, everytime I go there the service is terrible, not bad, not okay, terrible. They don't understand English very much, they take forever to get the food done, even if the restaurant is empty. If it is only us or it us packed same poor quality of service The servers seem not be familiar with the menu, as they should be. And you can easily tell that they are not passionate at all about the job they are doing. I gave it 4 this time because of the service read more

While I have not been at the restaurant to eat, I've had their catered food multiple times and let me tell you - it's always delicious!! Their Seekh kebabs & tandoori chicken are always perfectly seasoned - and there's a grilled chicken dish that's got a greenish marinade which is absolutely divine! I think it's called Afghan Boti. The biryani has always been very good too - flavorful with the right amount of spices. Now I'm craving some of their food read more

I found this place a year ago. I love the mantoo. I've liked all the dishes I've tried except the heavier spiced ones. But I'm a wimp and the spice was too strong for me. Next time, I'm going to see if they will do half spice. The meals are very filling and heat up well the next day. I've dined in and had to-go. The to-go is always secure and I don't worry about spills. Try this place and then walk Zam-Zam store next door. read more

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Good, fresh food. Disappointed that Palak Paneer didn't have rice. And, asked for Spicy (4, on a 1-5 scale. Was good but not really hit.) Otherwise I'd come back. read more

Great find. I enjoyed the Sunday buffet and was able to taste a variety of food combinations. All were tantalizing for the palate. The food spice is wonderful, never to overpowering, and blended well to maximize taste. I spent 15 dollars for the buffet. It was well worth the money. I WILL RETURN again. read more

A good place if you are looking for authentic Pakistani cuisine. A must place to visit to treat yourself.

Great food. Nihari, chicken biryani and naan my favourites. Especially open buffet was wonderful.

Loved the service. Food took a little long to come out but expected, freshness takes time. I wish the curries would of bin a lot more spicy. It just felt like something was missing. Don't get me wrong it was good just not what I'm used to. California 1 - Arizona 0. read more

Tried this restaurant for the first time. Kebabs were just okay. The Mutton biryani portion size was hardly any and was very salty. The salad it came with with was all wilted and stale and had to discard it. This is a huge restaurant from inside and tastes more like Pakistani and not authentic Indian flavors. The naan bread was fine. read more

I ordered their shish kabab masala fry and shrimp biryani! My entire experience was an 8/10. So far it's the best Pakistani food I've had in Phoenix. read more

I don't know how I feel about this place... I really wanted to like it, but the food was lackluster: My garlic naan was good, but my palak paneer was super salty and without much flavor. That was a bummer, as I love. Love. LOVE palak paneer. The server didn't even ask how spicy we wanted our meals, so it was milder than I would have liked. Wah wahhhh. Oh yeah the veggie samosas were good though, too. Yum. Okay so the food gets mixed reviews, but it's definitely the ambience that gets low ratings from me. It was oddly quiet at dinner time. And I'm kind of like, really loud. And my companion was too. Take note introverts and extroverts alike! If you are on first-ish dates it could be a little awkward. And the service was beyond slow. But there was only one dude serving the whole place so I kind of felt bad for him. Maybe the ambience is better for a bustling lunch buffet or private event. But for someone like me who cackles when laughing and loves a killer playlist in the background, Hilal Grill did disappoint. But not like, 1 or 2 star disappoint. read more

Randomly tried this place with a coworker one day and then came back the next week with everyone from work it was that good! Food was fantastic. Weekday lunch it doesn't have a buffet so we all ordered off the menu. It is a little pricey because you have to add rice and naan to most of the dishes so lunch was $17 both times which is a little more than we usually like to do when we head out for a work lunch but the food is very good so it didn't exactly stop us! I have had the tandoori chicken and the chicken curry, garlic naan and Afghani rice. It was all fabulous. Portions are large, both meals I took home half and had a second day for lunch which helps with the price! The tandoori chicken was actually the best I have had anywhere. The chicken curry was great as well. Garlic naan was good, not great but solid good. I really like the Afghani rice, I didn't know what it was but the server suggested it was the best to have with the dishes and he was right! Everyone enjoyed all the varied dishes they got, no complaints! Would be nice if they incorporated some smaller lunch options that maybe came with a small side of rice and a piece of naan for like $10 but we will be back just not as often till I get a raise! Will be back also to try the buffet for a date night! Sounds delicious. read more

Terrible food. Rude staff. They only had buffet. No alacart and the buffet food was terrible. No other option since no alacart.

Is it more appropriate to skip writing this review? Hmmm, I just hate walking away without leaving my 2 cents. You never know, I may save another Yelper some time and a few dollars. Vegetarians, do not eat here on a Sunday. It's a small buffet, crowded, and noisy - like you're dining in a cafeteria. We ended up here because our first choice closed early and Hilal Grill was in the vicinity. The cost set us back $14 each for a buffet that wasn't worth it. The beginning of the line showcased a mango dessert, fruit, raw salad, and a few condiments. Next were two huge vats of rice. One was seasoned (I liked this) the other was plain. Following that were four to five full pans of meat choices. When I saw this I got very worried because the end of the line was approaching fast. Then I saw vegetable selections in pans half the size of the meat selections. I kid you not, this is all there was: 1. a farina halwa (sweet and starchy) 2. mixed veggies (over cooked cauliflower, carrots, onions, potatoes, in a curry sauce) 3. yellow lentil dal (the most watery mixture I've ever seen) 4. chana masala (typical garbanzo beans) At the end of the line was a pan of plain naan. If you want poori or roti, you have to ask for it. I think dining here on a day with no buffet may be better, because from what I saw on the website, HG has an extensive menu. Unfortunately they don't offer many choices on Sunday. But for $14 they SHOULD! read more

Amazing friendly service and great authentic food! Can not wait to come back and try all their dishes.

Amazing food! But make sure u make a reservation for the Sunday buffet!! Very nice staff, food is awesome, come hungry because everything is really filling, also parking is limited I recommend not even pulling into the parking lot and instead just going to the street and parking along the road. read more

This review is solely on service & vegetarian food. I called for a pick up, and asked the lady to recommend some vegetarian dishes. She said "I don't know what they are". I let that go, and ordered the Paneer Tikka Masala, and the Afghani Gulpi with tandoori nan. Everything tasted bland and the curries were very oily. They used a food coloring in the paneer tikka masala curry that stayed on my fingers after washing twice! Roti was probably the best out of the three. I can't say anything about their non vegetarian dishes but I'd most definitely not return to this place. read more

Whenever we are in Phoenix we try to stop by. Love the goat korma, tandoori chicken and chicken karahi. Fresh pooris with Kheer on their Sunday buffet bring back childhood memories. Restaurant is big, clean and staff wear mask, gloves. Have dined in twice during the pandemic, did not feel unsafe. read more

Best Pakistani/Indian place in town. Truly unique, high flavour menu options. Our favourite is chicken handi and nihari. I don't think I have ever ordered anything here that I didn't like except Chapli kabab one time. Also very economical as almost all items come in 2+ servings = great place for family dinner. This one's gonna be a regular for us! read more

Delicious food, great service, and friendly staff --- would easily recommend (ate their twice - it was that good)!

Had a terrific lunch today! Delicious food! Clean, COVID friendly. I am gluten free and the server was intentional about communicating what each thing was so I could enjoy the right GF dishes! So kind and attentive! Definitely recommend! read more

Came to Scottsdale to get away from covd 19 and to self isolate!! With everything in lock down and take out only I have found a jem in Hilal Grill the food is awesome!! 10/10 I am pretty well versed in Indian food and this place hits the spot flavours are superb will be revisiting often when I'm here. The boys who run the place are super friendly just ask them to make you a dish and they come up 100%.. my new go to place when I'm in town. read more

We loved the food. Authentic Afhgani, Pakistani, and Indian food. They packaged the food well for take away.

This place is such a treat. Been here 3 times already in past few weeks.I enjoy their buffet on weekends. Every dish taste so good.

They have too much going on at this place, they have Indian food, paki, and Afghanistanian food. I feel like their food lacks quality. My chicken tikka masala was really oily (which it shouldn't be)!! It tasted ok, not that great. However the Staff is really nice and friendly. The location is kind of sketch at night. read more

absolutely great food . Great. Service . Excellent pricing can't ask for fresh and tasty food .everyone must try their garlic nan

I love to try new Indian buffets but sadly since the Pandemic, most Indian restaurants have stopped their lunch buffets in the Valley. I was very happy to find that Hilal Grill currently does a $19.99 (before tax) adult lunch buffet on Sundays from 11 am-8 pm. I dined around noon on 7/24 thinking it would be empty during the Phoenix summer heat but was happy to find a diverse crowd enjoying a large selection of delicious middle eastern food (not exclusive to Indian food). I love buffets because I like to sample a little of everything and everything was delicious today at Hilal Grill. They had a meat dish, two goat dishes, a few vegetarian dishes, chicken tikka (tandoori chicken), chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani, noodles, white rice, buttered naan, and a few other vegetarian dishes. The buffet comes with poori (fried Indian bread) delivered to the table and some soft drink options and today they had hot green tea. For dessert, they had halva, an interesting pudding dish, and ice cream (but who had the room?). Don't let the fact that they use paper plates discourage you. Also, don't let the decor or outside scare you away, Hilal Grill is all about the food. The middle eastern staff was extremely friendly and hard at work quick to replenish the buffet and kept the buttered naan flowing. The parking lot is very small but there is parking available on the street. Thank you everyone at Hilal Grill for an enjoyable dining adventure and I look forward to returning. I will be sending my friends here. read more

Not the best location but food was delish. So far the best indian food ive had in phoenix.

Really good food. Good quality and quantity. I gave 4 star cause I asked server if they can change kabuli rice to biriyani masala rice? I got food no doubt very good. But I was not notified that they are going to charge me for biriyani masala rice. When I went to counter for payment my bill was more then I was supposed to pay. Finally I asked for kabuli rice take out. Which I paid for and they give it to me without saying a word. read more

Hilal Grill - Indian Near Me - Phoenix, Arizona

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Went for Sunday lunch buffet to Hilal Grill today and was impressed with pretty much everything. From courtesy of staff , their attentiveness, offering a high chair for baby without even asking, attending to table politely and in a non interrupting way, bringing puri bread freshly to the table in request; this makes for a fantastic experience. The chef came out and met with diners, keeping a welcoming environment for all. Coming to the food: probably the most Authentic Pakistani food in the state. The Sunday buffet was designed to please with all star cast of Pakistani delicacies. Their paye, nihari, falling-of- the-bone meat on palak gosht, chicken tikka , chicken kebabs , curry, daal, veggies that I didn't try, yogurt and feerni (rice pudding) made and presented in clay pots (extra points for authentic presentation there too!) This was always a good restaurant but it keeps getting better. Now with an upgraded interior including modernized restrooms, it is nicer than before. Want to try a good Pakistani restaurant? Don't waste time elsewhere, Hilal grill is the place!! read more

Excellent goat and chicken curry. Naan fresh and tasty. Only thing missing from buffet is Chai tea read more

Really good Pakistani food. It's really similar to Indian food in my opinion. Great service too!